Getting There
by Mtwapa
Summary: An attempt to do justice and make peace with the Horatio Caine and Marisol Delektorsky romance of season 4. Possibilities of what could have happened during their relationship. Spoilers for S4 and scenes with other characters.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Ok, I've made some slight deviations from what happened in season 4 and tweaked the characters here and there. I've only watched clips of the latter half of season 4 but I'll try to integrate this fic as far as possible with the scenes in S4. Hope you enjoy reading this. Please leave some feedback because I'm thinking of doing their relationship in multiple chapters but I'm not sure yet. Oh and apologies in advance for all the various English language errors you may come across. Cheers

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Isabella Sorenson, and she's merely a figment of my imagination. The characters you do recognise here from the series respectively belong to CBS, Jerry Bruckheimer and the CSI franchise writers.

Options and consequences

Marisol Delektorsky sat at a desk in one of the backrooms of the _Il Covo _nightclub crunching the numbers of the previous week's sales. She had a degree as a chartered accountant but her cancer had somewhat dashed her hopes of joining a major firm due to health policies. So in order to juggle her chemotherapy and its effects and paying for her treatments she had taken up a job as a part-time accountant for a number of small firms. This allowed flexibility and didn't commit her fully to anything.

Marisol sat back and rubbed her eyes, glad that she was coming to the end. She ran a hand through her hair and noted with dismay the strands of hair that gathered in her palm. She was just about to start the final figures when a brunette head popped around the door and startled her with a loud hello.

"Jesus Bella! If I don't die from cancer, you'll be the death of me!" Marisol exclaimed somewhat angrily.

"Oh come on Mari, you know you enjoy being startled…adds some spice to your life right?" Bella winked back, a broad smile breaking out on her face.

"So you think." Marisol replied unable to be angry with her best friend for very long and breaking out into a smile despite herself. "So what brings you here?" Marisol asked.

"Well pardon me, but I didn't think I'd need a reason to drop in and see how my best friend is doing…" Bella pouted playfully, "Actually I was wondering if you wanted to go for coffee or something, I have some big news…."

She was interrupted mid sentence by one of the bartenders coming in, "Ms. Delektorsky. Sorry to intrude but these were just dropped off for you." He handed her a stunning bouquet of lilies, with a flaming orange-red centre and creamy yellow edges.

"Thanks Pat." Marisol smiled as she took the flowers from him. A small smile played across her face as she looked at the card and recognised the handwriting. "So you were saying Bella…what's the big news?"

"Oh no you don't Marisol Tatyana Delektorsky…. I haven't seen you smile like that since your prom date with Riout. You were utterly besotted with that French Cannuck! So what's up, who are those gorgeous petals from?"

Marisol sighed wondering how she was going to get out of her best friend's interrogation. She and Isabella Sorenson had been friends since as far as her memory could take her. Marisol regarded Bella as a sister, and she knew that Bella (being an only child) held her in the same regard. They both knew each other's habits as their own and so lying or even attempting to was going to take a lot of effort.

"Don't be silly Bella, they're from Eric. You know how attentive he's become since my diagnosis. Speaking of which I better call him and tell him not to pick me up if we're going for coffee." Marisol turned away and punched in Eric's number. He answered after a couple of rings.

"Delko"

"Eric, it's me."

"Are you done already Marisol?"

"Well almost but Bella just dropped by and well I'm going for coffee with her, so don't worry, I'm in safe hands." She glanced at Bella who just feigned an innocent smile. "Oh and thanks for the flowers Eric. They were really sweet." Marisol tapped Bella's hand as she tried to sneak her hand towards the card hanging from the bouquet.

"Mari? What flowers…."

"Ok, bye." Marisol ended sweetly and hung up on her brother.

Eric looked at his phone in confusion. Then guessing it was something to do with Bella being there he began to concentrate wholly on his work reassured that Marisol would be all right while she was with Bella.

"Bella, didn't you know that curiosity killed the cat?"

"So Christian and my mother keep telling me." Bella rolled her eyes, "But come on you don't honestly expect me to believe Eric sent you those? Besides he sounded hmm…a tad bit confused on the phone."

"Well I have no idea what you mean." Marisol replied arching an eyebrow, "Now go find something to occupy yourself for about ten minutes so I can finish up here because you're such a distraction and then we'll head out for that coffee and your big news. Ok?"

"Marisol, you're not getting off that easily." Her friend replied flippantly as she jumped of the desk and strolled to the door.

"Oh Bella you do fuss a lot."

"Ok, I'll be back in ten."

Marisol got up from her chair to make sure Isabella was clear of the immediate vicinity when she went back to the desk and looked at the card, thrilled that he had sent her flowers and had taken the time to personally write out the card, for the handwriting on the envelope was identical to the one on his card, given to her when they first met. She opened the card. The message inside was simple. _"Dinner was gorgeous and so were you- Thank you."_ The scribbled signature at the bottom just acted as further confirmation that he had personally written it. The message made her heart soar. She turned back to the ledger infront of her and forced her mind to concentrate on the numbers. She soon geared into automatic, as her thoughts devilishly slipped back to last night:

Dinner had gone well, he had showed up promptly at 8pm. His clothes were different from what he had been wearing earlier. He had on a deep red shirt that brought out the hues in his sun-streaked hair. At first conversation had been stilted but after they both acknowledged this with a laugh, conversation began to flow more easily. Marisol laughed softly to herself as she remembered his surprised expression when she told him she was a chartered accountant because…well she certainly didn't look the part. She hadn't eaten much but he had tucked into her culinary efforts with some relish. The evening ended much to her delight with the promise of having dinner again soon. When he left, she had taken a couple of moments to regain her state of mind.

Marisol felt blown away by the man she had just spent an evening with. He was so different from the others she had dated over the years. There was just something special about him, and she felt she had been blessed to know him.

"Wow Marisol your fingers seem to be working over time there." Bella said as she once again reappeared.

Marisol's eyes came into focus on the figures as her mind snapped back to reality. "Uh huh, just a few more numbers." She replied as she scribbled in the ledger. Isabella watched her from the doorframe as Marisol continued to work. The scene before her made her incredulous of the fact that Marisol's life still wasn't guaranteed. Bella had taken Marisol's diagnosis very badly indeed, worse than Marisol herself. She had cried and been angry with those around her but her anger slowly gave way to the realisation that all she could do was be there for her best friend.

"All done." Said Marisol as she closed the ledger with a thud and put the pens and calculator away. She stood up and scooped the lilies up in her arms, taking in their scent once more. She gave Bella a quick hug as they walked out together towards the front of the club. On the way out, Marisol ducked into the manager's office to let him know that she was done. He thanked her and promised to send her a cheque in the mail.

In the car, Isabella held back her big news, insisting she'd tell Marisol during coffee. The ride was therefore an unusually quiet one. Marisol's thoughts once more drifted to last night as she argued with herself. There was no reason why she shouldn't tell Bella, it had just been dinner after all, and that too merely as acquaintances who had enjoyed each other's company. When they reached the coffee shop they were shown to their usual table.

"So Isabella, what's the big news?" Marisol asked as she sat down

Isabella's eyes began to shine with happiness, "Mari…Marisol, Christian proposed to me last night!"

Marisol broke out into a huge smile, "Oh, Bella! That's fantastic. Congratulations!" she got up to give her friend a kiss and hug, "So tell me all about it. But hang on, isn't Christian in Maine till the weekend?"

"Yes, he flew back to surprise be because well, call me stupid, but the Rodman account has had the bank really busy and I completely forgot that it was our anniversary yesterday, well until Christian showed up on my doorstep at 11.30 in the night and proposed to me while I was in pyjamas!" Bella smiled, "We're going to tell the parents the good news on the weekend. And well I want us to get married as soon as possible because I want you to be my maid of honor."

Marisol shook her head slightly, touched by Bella's words, "Bella, this is your wedding we're talking about, the special day we've dreamed about since we were 7…"

"An occasion where we promised each other we would be each other's maid of honour." Bella finished for her.

Marisol sighed slightly, "No Bella, I don't want you to rush this because of me. This is your day. It will take time to plan. I want it to be as natural and as perfect as wedding days should be. I will be your maid of honour, I promise." She saw tears form in her best friend's eyes. Marisol reached over to hug her, "Oh Bella, I promise I'll be here. I promise." She said soothingly as Isabella's tears fell on her shoulder.

Bella gave a huge sniffle "No Marisol, I really insist."

"No Bella, I really insist, C'mon planning is all part of the fun. Hey! I don't want my best friend's wedding to be crappy. Just think, how will we make that perfect day perfect without proper planning huh?"

"Marisol…"

"Isabella it will be fine, and that's that!" Marisol finished with a no-nonsense expression.

Bella gave a small laugh, "Well…if you tell me who sent you those flowers then we have a deal Ms. Delektorsky."

"Oh Bella!" Marisol exclaimed knowing she would have to give in. Isabella was the most stubborn person she knew, besides telling her about him seemed a small price to pay for her best friend's happiness. "Ok, we have a deal."

They both ordered cappuccinos as Isabella launched into some more details about Christian's proposal. After their cappuccinos arrived Isabella pressed Marisol for the details about her flowers.

"Well the flowers are really just a thank-you for dinner last night." Marisol offered.

"Who was dinner with? Anyone I've tried setting you up with?" Isabella shot back, dissatisfied with the vagueness of Marisol's first answer.

"No. Bella you know I think you have appalling taste in men, well apart from Christian. His name is Horatio Caine. I met him through Eric." Marisol replied as nonchalantly as possible.

The name sounded familiar and then it hit Bella. "Wait, did you say Horatio Caine."

Marisol nodded unwilling to let on anymore. "Oh gosh! Not _the_ Lieutenant Horatio Caine from the paper the other day?" Marisol nodded again, "Marisol! How did you end up having dinner with Eric's boss?" Bella wailed.

"Hey! It was just dinner, to say thanks for getting me out of the drug incident. That's all." Marisol protested in her defense.

"I'm waiting for the But…" Bella asked playfully

Marisol smiled ruefully knowing how well Bella could read her. "Ok, but we've agreed to have dinner again and I think I'm falling very badly indeed for him. Oh Bella's he just so wonderful."

"Well I remember him from when the tsunami hit the bank and some gold was stolen from the vault. He seemed nice, especially to the Rileys." Marisol raised an enquiring eyebrow; "Oh Mr. Riley was the manager at the time. Lieutenant Caine, and Eric too, seemed very in control and calm when we were in the vault while the rest of us just kind of freaked out… oh and it's also how I met Christian remember? … but Marisol what does Eric think?"

"Oh I mentioned dinner to him before Lieutenant came around...he just laughed, you know Eric."

"Really? Eric laughed when you told him you're falling for his boss?"

"Um, well I haven't told him about that yet."

Bella let out a sigh, "Marisol, I hate to put a damper on a relationship before its even begun. But I really think you should consider Eric. He's been through so much these past couple of months at work. Jesus, he almost lost his job! and now…no, wait let me finish…you're seeing his boss? Did you ever consider the possibility of how this could affect their working relationship? "

"But Bella, we're not in a relationship yet, it's just dinner."

"Mari…" Bella shook her head impatiently, "If it's going to be _just_ dinner like the first time it will probably end up with another dinner date."

"You don't know that Bella." Marisol shot back

Isabella raised her hands defensively, "All I'm saying Marisol is that Eric has a right to know because this situation affects him too. At least tell him that you guys are having dinner again. Oh Crud! I'm beginning to sound like my mother!" Isabella finished, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Marisol gave a small smile but remained silent – Bella had a point. When she had first asked him for dinner, Lt. Caine had been hesitant over accepting - Eric had been a reason. But she had managed to win him over by insisting it was _just_ dinner. But she had been so happy over the prospect of having dinner with him again that she still hadn't faced the reality of the situation, or the seriousness of having a relationship with Eric's superior. But that was because she wasn't sure if they were going to have a relationship or not. She decided that she should talk to both Eric and Lieutenant Caine about it.

"Point made Bella. What would I do without you?" Marisol smiled at her friend.

"You my dear girl would have no love life if you were left to your own devices. You think life is as straight forward as those damn numbers you crunch, with everything being balanced!" Bella stated matter-of-factly as she took a sip from her cup.

Marisol sighed thinking how much easier crunching numbers were; one of the reasons that accounting had attracted her in the first place. These internal arguments would, at the rate she was going, do her head in. She sipped her cappuccino.

"So what you gonna do at home? Because I was thinking we could do some shopping for some wedding planning stuff with Christian. How does that sound?"

"Oh nothing much, just the usual chores and some figures to do for Friday. But shopping sounds so much more exciting at the moment! Sure I won't be in the way if Christian's there?"

" 'Course not besides you know men's opinions." Retorted Bella rolling her eyes.

"But do you mind if we make a small detour." Marisol grinned, "Yes, I want to speak to Eric now and get this off my chest otherwise I won't be able to get my shopping craze on!"

"Not a problem Miss Delektorsky. Your wish is my command." Replied Isabella as she playfully flicked her finger through the air.

The two friends finished their cappuccinos and drove to the crimelab brainstorming all kinds of crazy ideas for the perfect wedding. Marisol made Isabella stop a little distance away from the crimelab. She got out of the car and walked towards the crimelab. She pulled out her phone and dialled Eric's number; he answered after a couple of rings:

"Delko." Came Eric's gruff voice

"Ms. Delektorsky here." Marisol replied playfully.

"Marisol, what's up?" asked Eric, his tone softening.

"Well I'm downstairs and I wanted to talk to you urgently about something, well about last night."

"You're at the lab?"

"Uh-huh."

"Gee, sorry Mari but I'm not at the lab. I just left a crime scene and I'm stuck in traffic in the centre of town. So what about last night…"

Marisol could just hear the smirk at the other end of the line. "Well…We're going to have dinner again." She held her breath expectantly.

"You and H. are having dinner again? So what've I got to do with it?"

"It's just that he's your boss, and well if you feel weird about it, I totally understand. I can cancel dinner."

Eric gave a short chuckle, "If you cancel dinner that would really make things awkward between H. and me! Of course I don't mind, as

long as I'm not dating him…"

"Eric!"

"…as long as you're happy Marisol, that's all that matters." Eric finished softly

"Thanks little brother, I just needed to know it was ok."

"Hmm…wish you did that with some of the jerks you've dated." He added testily. "Is Bella still with you?"

"Yup we're going shopping…Oh call her and congratulate her because Christian proposed to her last night."

"Wow so last night was a big night for you both. Wonder why I stayed in? maybe I could have got lucky too." Eric sniggered.

"Yeah, little brother, the day you settle down will be the day. Ok, so I'll see you later?"

"Sure, have fun shopping with Bella. Maybe we can do dinner or something later. Ok, Bye."

"Bye, and thanks again Eric."

"No worries Mari, bye." Eric hung up and swallowed hard, thinking how on earth he would cope if Marisol did go.

Marisol flipped her cell shut and debated going inside and asking if the Lieutenant was in, maybe she could kill two birds with one stone since she was at the lab anyway. Besides Marisol wanted to get this over and done with, she was happy but felt a bit nervous about having this talk with him.

Lieutenant Horatio Caine had just finished talking to Calleigh about interrogating Mario Pilar and had just closed the door to his office when he looked outside the window and saw a familiar figure talking on a cell phone. He crept along the edge of the room till he reached his desk, and then crouched down behind his chair to maintain his view of her. He couldn't believe he was sneaking around his own office but he didn't want to pull himself into her possible line of vision, content to watch her from the sanctuary of his office. He was surprised to find himself hoping that she had come to see him, but he quickly dismissed the thought knowing that it was probably Eric she had come to see. He glanced at his watch and hoped the flowers had been delivered to her on time because he certainly hadn't expected her to come here. He had wanted to call her hours ago to arrange dinner but his mind told him to wait a bit longer, so that he didn't sound too pathetic. To his eyes, she looked just as beautiful today as she had last night. He felt a stirring in his heart that he hadn't felt since Yelina had left 18 months ago. He wondered if he was moving on. The heartache he felt had certainly lessened a tiny degree. He was glad he had accepted dinner despite an inner voice yelling at him to say no. His eyes remained trained on her as she shut her cellphone off and turned to walk away. He then remembered that Eric and Wolfe were gathering information from the victim's workplace. He wondered if she was thinking of him now? Like an answer to his question he watched her turnaround and come up the ramp that would lead her to the entrance.

When the telephone on Horatio's desk rang he was still crouched behind his chair lost in his thoughts. The shrill ring shook Horatio out of his reverie. His mind quickly disciplined itself for lapsing while being on duty!

"Caine here."

"Lieutenant, I have a Miss Delektorsky here at reception who would like to see you."

"Thank-you Paula. Please tell her I'll be with her in a couple of moments."

"Yes Sir."

He put down the handset and took a couple of deep breaths. He waited for what seemed to him a couple of moments by leafing through the papers in his INBOX tray. He made his way down to the reception and was told that his visitor was waiting for him outside. He went outside and stood still for a moment watching her soak up the sun's rays before speaking, "Marisol?"

She turned around to face him. Just hearing his voice made her smile, "Hey, I was hoping I might find you here. I um…I was just hoping to… talk to you for a second?" she finished quickly.

"Sure. What's going on?" came his quick reply.

She bit her lip, unsure of how to phrase her thoughts and decided to take the direct approach, "I had a wonderful time last night."

"So did I." came his low, husky reply that made her heart skip a few beats.

"I'm just…worried about you." She stated, knowing that she was lying and just trying to beat around the bush.

Horatio's eyes registered confusion, "Me? Why?"

"You made my arrest go away. I'm just, I'm afraid that someone could twist that, turn it into something ugly." She watched as Horatio bent his head down and played with his sunglasses.

Horatio looked up, a bit taken aback by her regard for him, he locked his eyes with her and said, "First of all, I don't want you to worry about that, all right?" He watched her mouth curve into a small smile but her eyes held a different message that she still would be concerned. However Horatio wanted to address another issue. He took a step closer towards her, "And um, Marisol what's bothering you?

Marisol broke eye contact with him, unsure of how to continue and surprised that he was able to read her so well. She gave a small sigh knowing she'd have to tell him the real reason she wanted to talk to him, "It's my brother, Eric. It's just…I don't want to do anything to disrupt…interrupt what you guys have. I mean you are his boss!"

Horatio thought for a second, "Ok…um…how about if I talk to Eric?"

"You would do that?" came her amazed question.

"Of course I will." He replied gallantly, to be rewarded by her smile. She smiled at him speechless, "Ok then." he continued

"Um." Marisol felt her mouth become very dry and bit her lip thinking of what to say next, "I guess I um… I guess I have to go."

"Ok uh…" now it was Horatio's turn to be speechless

They both chuckled nervously and gave each other awkward stares. Marisol felt herself blushing as he said, "we'll uh, we'll talk later…all right?"

"Till then." She gave a small laugh back and turned to leave when the lilies popped into her mind.

"Anything else?" He inquired.

She swivelled quickly wanting to give him kiss on his cheek but then realised it might be inappropriate for the location. Instead she placed her hand on his arm, "Well actually yes Lieutenant. Thank-you for the flowers, they were beautiful, and got me the inquisition too!"

Now Horatio blushed, "I'm glad you liked them. I'll speak to you later then?"

Marisol noticed the skin above his collar reddening slightly and smiled her affirmation and then turned to finally leave. Horatio watched her as she made her way to a car. He noticed a female driver and thought she looked vaguely familiar, when her face came back to him from the case Hurricane Anthony had brought up. He wondered briefly if that was the inquisition. Marisol's companion certainly looked like she could raise an inquisition. Making sure they had driven away safely he turned and went back inside to work on the Clare Trinner case.

Marisol got into the car to face an amused look from Isabella, "Well from my vantage point here, I see that only the Lieutenant showed up."

"Oh Eric was at a crime scene."

"So you just couldn't resist seeing him." Bella asked humorously.

"Just drive Bella! You are sounding like your mother in more ways than one now." Marisol replied playfully.

"Hmm, so touchy! So what did the good Lieutenant have to say?"

"Nothing that concerns you. All you need to know is that Eric is fine with dinner." retorted Marisol as she rolled down her window.

"Touché!" replied Bella laughing as they drove towards the mall.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Many thanks to all those who reviewed chapter 1. Have to admit there's some rambling in this chapter, wasn't quite in a 'normal' state of mind when writing. Apologies in advance for the disgust you (the reader) may feel when reading about certain sensation and also for various errors you may find. Please do review because I have lots of ideas floating around...but that's all their doing floating around! Cheers

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own any of the characters, although I wish I sometimes did.

Bitter-sweet nausea

Marisol lay in bed tossing and turning. It was a hot night and her pyjamas felt slightly damp with sweat. She sat up and propped herself up on her pillows and glanced at the street below through the window next to her bed, listening to the sounds of the night. She could hear the distant sounds of waves foaming onto the beach interspersed with the night traffic.

She felt the nausea rising and jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom and began retching into the toilet bowl. She closed her eyes as she felt the lumps make their way up her throat to be expelled from her mouth. She began vomiting with so much force that tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. She remained kneeling, palms flat on the cool tiled floor waiting for the next wave of nausea to arrive. It soon did, she vomited with as much force as she could muster, knowing it was better to have everything out rather than to keep it inside and have the repeated nausea attacks. She pulled the flush and then sat back against the terracotta, appreciating the soothing coolness of the tile against her bare arms and shoulders. She sat in that position for a little while waiting for the nausea to dissipate and some mental energy to haul herself up and into the shower. Instead the nausea hit her again and she leaned over and vomited again, as the onion soup she had had at dinner tumbled from her mouth into the water. The pain in her abdomen was almost too much to bear! After this wave passed, she lay down on the tiled floor, too weak to think or move, waiting for everything to slow down.

The minutes stretched into an hour before Marisol was finally able gather enough strength to get into the shower. She peeled of her sweat-drenched pyjamas and threw them into the linen basket near the door and stepped into the steam-enveloped shower. After her shower she changed into a fresh set of pyjamas and padded downstairs to her living room, collecting a bottle of water from the kitchen on the way. She switched on the lights and took out a photo album from her bookshelf and sat down with it on the couch. She turned each page gently, lovingly running her eyes and fingers across the photos at the memories she had now come to cherish and appreciate more since her prognosis. She closed the album with a sigh and placed it on the coffee table that acted as a centrepiece in her living room. She was glad Eric didn't stay tonight. She knew it was dangerous for her to be alone on the nights after she had her chemotherapy because there were times when the nausea was unbearable and Eric's soothing during those moments was the only thing that could hold back the tears and anguish that threatened to break after the nausea hit her. But she had managed to convince Eric to keep his date with Natalia Boa Vista, telling him she would be fine, chanting the usual line of 'Independent Woman'. Besides she promised to call him if she did need him.

She thought about her day ahead, she had another chemo session for 9a.m and then her 'medicating' date with marijuana, where Isabella would be keeping a watchful eye on her, and then dinner. Her eyes fell on the freesias that Horatio had sent her the day before. She smiled thinking how she thought of him as Lieutenant Caine and still occasionally lapsed into calling him that rather than Horatio, which he insisted she call him- especially since they had been seeing each other regularly for 3 weeks now. They hadn't done anything yet in the physical sense. Somehow taking it slow was an unspoken understanding they had between them, and so having dinner together remained the status quo, with the occasional kiss on the cheek now and again. She had muddled up her chemotherapy dates when agreeing to make dinner for Horatio, and well neither could be undone, her chemo couldn't be rescheduled and she didn't want to reschedule dinner with Horatio. She felt guilty about not telling Eric about her chemo appointment the next day because he would probably advise her against having dinner with Horatio that night, and if she didn't listen he'd probably tell Horatio who would probably agree and so postpone dinner with her. She knew Horatio was very busy at work and that she couldn't spend as much time with him as she'd like. She cherished her time with him just as she cherished the photos in her albums, precious in a perspective that only she could see and understand. She hoped she'd make it through dinner without incident. Just knowing that she'd see him made her feel better and gladder. She glanced at the clock, taking note of the time and decided to try and get some sleep before morning.

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At 7.30 pm, Marisol placed the lasagne in the oven and closed the oven door with a relieved sigh. She had rushed the lasagne a bit because she and Bella had got a bit caught up with deciding on wedding color combinations. She had lied to Bella too, telling her that Eric would come over later and that there was no need for her to wait. But now after spending only an hour in the kitchen and an hour tidying up the knick-knacks scattered around the place, she felt worn out. She looked at the clock again and realised that the effects of her 'medication' would cease in another 2 hours, enough to get her through dinner and then she'd just have to rely on will power till Horatio left.

She went into her bathroom to have a shower and get ready for dinner. She glanced into the mirror as she undressed. Marisol knew she looked young and many couldn't believe that she was already well past her mid-thirties. But everyday she looked in the mirror; she was able to see the chemo slowly catching up with her. She wondered what would happen with Horatio when the chemo finally did catch up. She hoped he wasn't just sticking around just because he felt sorry for her. It then occurred to her, how wrong everything could go if he was, especially with regard to Eric and him. If they did break up, she at least would never see him again, but the same couldn't be said for Eric. Bella's words from when they had coffee together, now took on a new meaning. She needed to be sure for herself that she wasn't deluding herself in her hopes of trying to find happiness. She would talk to him about it tonight, because there really was no point in them seeing each other, if the feelings were just one sided. She hoped with all her heart that they weren't. The more Marisol thought about it, while she showered, the angrier it made her to think that he was seeing her because he pitied her. It reached a point where she began to feel faint and grabbed whole of the railing to steady herself. She stepped out of the shower and forced herself to calm down. She wrapped a towel around her slender frame and ran down to check on the food. She made her way back upstairs, mentally trying to decide what to wear. In her bedroom she finally settled on a white-red embroidered skirt and matching red halter-top. She had just started drying her hair when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch and let out a soft curse in Russian, knowing she had spent too much time on choosing her outfit. She ran a brush through her damp curls and made her way downstairs to open the door. She opened the door slightly breathless, and there he was: hands in his beige trousers, leaning against her doorframe wearing a blue shirt that complemented his eyes.

"Hi, I know I'm a bit late." He said apologetically.

"Hi, oh don't worry, I don't consider two minutes past eight to be late at all." She smiled as she let him come in.

Horatio placed a soft kiss on her cheek before stepping past her into the apartment. She shut the door after him and turned to face him. He looked into her eyes and saw that something was definitely in the air.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Tell you about it later," Marisol replied blithely as she took his hand and led him to the living room and sat him down on the couch.

"Something smells good." Horatio said sniffing the air appreciatively.

Marisol laughed, "That's what you said last time and I ended up burning the casserole. Well I hope you don't mind lasagne. I kind of got home late because of Bella."

"Anymore inquisitions?" Horatio inquired, with a raised eyebrow, his eyes twinkling.

"Well no." Marisol had told him about Bella's little inquisition. Horatio had thought it quite funny at the time, "Actually we were looking at possible color themes for the wedding. It's a very mind-absorbing task, you know." She said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'll bet." Horatio replied matching her tone. He looked at her again, and saw she had paled slightly, " Marisol, are you all right?"

"Yup, I'm fine." Marisol suddenly felt very hot and weak. She needed to get away from him; she couldn't let him see her like this. "You just sit and relax, I'll pour the wine and check on the food." She jumped up and all but ran to the kitchen.

Horatio looked at her retreating back in confusion, knowing it couldn't still be the shyness that had lingered on in varying degrees from their first dinner. He knew that there was definitely something on her mind, but he didn't want to push the issue knowing she would open up to him when she was comfortable and confident enough to do so. He enjoyed coming to her apartment. He settled into the couch, and took in the flowers on the table, the soft lavender aroma from the lit candles around the room helped to relax him. Feeling uncomfortable with his jacket still on. He slipped it off and got up to hang it on a coat peg near the door. On his way back he decided to stop in the kitchen and see if she needed help opening the bottle. To his utter shock he saw Marisol slumped on the floor. He ran to her, checked her pulse and made sure her breathing was normal before he placed his hand beneath her head and lifted her into a sitting position against one of the cupboards. He poured a glass of water, crouched down beside her and gently called her name.

Marisol's eyes flew open, as she felt the nausea was rising again. She held back her panic, this wasn't supposed to be happening now. She saw Horatio beside her with a glass of water and gave a small smile.

"Hi, you had me really worried there for a second. I was just about to call 911." He said softly as he made her sip the water. "What happened?"

"I….I guess I must have just blacked out."

His eyes probingly searched hers, "Has it ever happened before."

She nodded focusing intently on the glass of water, "A couple of times."

He was just about to ask her if it had something to do with her chemo, when to his surprise Marisol jumped up. She couldn't control the nausea anymore. She held her hand to her mouth, as she felt the bitter bile in her mouth. She begged herself not to throw up infront of him.

"Lieutenant Caine, please call Eric for me. Please?" The words tumbled from her muffled mouth and with that she shot out of the room Horatio following close behind. He yanked his phone out of his pocket and called Eric.

"Delko"

"Eric, it's Horatio, I'm at Marisol's and she just blacked out…"

"What!"Eric jumped off his couch and grabbed his keys.

"It's all right, she's come to now, but I have the sneaking suspicion that she had a chemo session today. Just get here as fast as you can."

"I'll be right there H." Eric hung up and with a grim face locked his apartment door and ran to the car.

Horatio closed his phone and was for a second lost, unsure of what exactly he should do now. Crossing over to the kitchen quickly, he filled another glass of water and took it upstairs. He found Marisol, sitting on the floor in her bathroom. She looked heartbreakingly beautiful with her skirt pooled around her and tears in her eyes. She leaned over and vomited again. Horatio sat down beside her and put his arms around her while she let out a gentle sob. He smoothed the tendrils of hair away from her eyes and dabbed gently at her mouth with his handkerchief.

"I'm sss… sorry Horatio." She wheezed as she drank some water.

"Shh…" he whispered, gently rocking her, "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me? Oh Marisol I want you to get better not get worse. You're straining yourself too much on my account." He felt her body shudder against his. She lurched out of his arms as another spasm over took her. He gently rubbed her back as she keeled over to retch some more. When she finished, she felt a wave of dizziness overcome her and her body went limp. Horatio this time was quick enough to catch her before her head hit the terracotta. She lay with her head cradled in his hands, gulping breaths of air, waiting for the room to stop spinning. He kept smoothing back her temple, hoping it was having some kind of soothing effect on her. After a couple of minutes he gave her a sip of water. She reached up for his hand, which he gave her. She brought it down to herself and slowly traced out the lines on his hand, forcing her eyes to focus on the length of each of the lines on his palm that she traced out. Horatio soon felt her beginning to relax and was just about to suggest sitting up when she sat bolt upright, throwing his hand aside in an effort not to retch on it and began retching again.

Horatio then heard a door bang and Eric shout their names,

"Up here, Eric." He called back to the younger man.

Eric shot up the stairs and skidded to a halt at Marisol's bathroom door. He was glad to see his sister in such caring hands.

"H, don't worry, I've got this." Eric said as he knelt down to take Marisol in his arms.

"Marisol, did you have a chemo session today?" he asked gently. The look in his sister's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He nodded an affirmative to Horatio, who closed his eyes knowing he was an indirect cause of her pain. They soon flew open as Marisol began retching again; her body shuddered some more in her brother's arms. She knelt back into his warming embrace as he closed his arms around her. He softly hummed a tune in her ear that Horatio did not recognise. She closed her eyes, unable to move. A tear slipped down.

Eric didn't know what to do, slightly embarrassed of showing his softer side in front of his boss. Horatio sensing the younger man's discomfort took out his handkerchief and gently dabbed at the tear.

"Thanks H." said Eric as he leaned forward to look at what Marisol had released, he noted with dismay the blood intermingled with the vomit

"No worries Eric. Do you want to call an ambulance?"

Eric gave a dry chuckle, "Nah H, she'll be ok, it's just the blood isn't supposed to be in the vomit. The doctors said that the blood disappearing altogether would be a sign that she was getting better. And well it hasn't disappeared, only lessened slightly from when she started chemo 9 months ago."

Horatio nodded as Eric spoke, "Anything you want me to do right now?"

"Actually could you make some ORS? The sugar should be in one of the top cupboards."

"Sure. Be back soon."

Marisol heard voices around her. It then came back to her with dizzying clarity that she was supposed to be having dinner with Horatio, instead she was sitting on the floor in her brother's arms. She still felt weak. She struggled to push herself up against Eric and opened her eyes.

"Hey." She heard Eric's whisper.

"Hi." She mouthed back and tried to smile.

"Tonight was pretty bad huh? Worse than usual?"

She nodded. "Where's Horatio?" she whispered, her mouth feeling very dry.

Eric laughed and kissed her slowly on her forehead, "He's gone to make some oral rehydrating solution. Here he is now."

"Hey." Horatio said as he knelt next to them.

Eric took the water from him and made Marisol sip slowly. Horatio felt proud of his CSI as he watched him gently administer the re-hydrating sugar solution. This was a gentler, tender Eric that didn't often come out in the lab. After half an hour Marisol felt better and was able to sit up more, she remained in Eric's arms.

"How about bed now?" Eric asked his sister

"But what about dinner? Horatio came all this way!"

"Marisol, really…dinner is the last thing on our minds. I think you really need to rest." Horatio said, his eyebrow raised in amused exasperation. Eric looked at him and shrugged.

"Mari, Horatio's right." Eric said.

Marisol felt her strength returning, "But I'm feeling better! How about I make you guys a deal, because I slave over a stove for nadda." She looked at both men who just shrugged their shoulders, she could see their twinkling eyes and continued "You guys eat dinner and I'll just sit with you, with my sugared water. How about that?"

"What's for dinner again Mari?"

"Lasagne and dessert is apple pie with vanilla ice cream." Marisol replied knowing her brother would never say no.

Eric put on a pretence of considering his sister's proposal, but soon gave up and smiled, "How about it H?"

Horatio still seemed unsure, "I really don't know, maybe I ought to go now, I really think you need your rest."

"Please Horatio?" Marisol asked, her hazel eyes begging him. Eric joined in with a mock plea of his own.

Horatio laughed, "Ok, deal." He got up and helped lift Marisol up from Eric's arms.

Eric saw his sister was still shaky so he swooped her up into his arms and carried her down and propped her in a chair. Horatio placed her glass infront of her and then helped Eric with plates and utensils.

The conversation mainly focused on work and the development of new techniques in the CSI world. Marisol listened in silence, content to observe the two men, occasionally asking a question about a technique. Horatio left at about 11.30 pm wishing brother and sister goodnight. He kissed Marisol's cheek softly as he left, promising to call them and let them know when he got home, which he duly did 45 minutes later.

Glad to know that Horatio was home and safe, Eric finished washing up the dishes, occasionally teasing Marisol about Horatio.

"Tomorrow, Bella and I are going to have a talk about your chemo sessions. No more stunts Marisol." Said Eric when he finished and sat down at the table with her.

"Agreed little brother. Yes and Bella will probably chew my head off too." Replied Marisol as she fiddled with her glass.

"You're really into him aren't you?" Eric asked somewhat sheepishly

"Is it that obvious?" Marisol asked,

"Yes, in more ways than one." Her brother replied laughing, "Me and H. having dinner, never thought I'd see the day! How long has it been? A couple of weeks now."

"3 weeks actually,"

"Ooooh, plan on celebrating your one month anniversary? Marisol you're blushing!"

Indeed she was, Marisol hadn't actually thought about it and now she didn't know what to think of it. Her mind wandered back to her original thoughts earlier in the evening and knew that before any damn anniversary she would have to ask him.

He carried her upstairs to her bedroom. While Marisol changed into pyjamas, he made out a fresh re-hydrating solution, which he took upstairs along with a bottle of water. Finding Marisol settled in bed, he put the water on a night-stand, got a blanket from a cupboard in the next room and settled himself on the chair next to his sister's side.

"Goodnight Mari." Said Eric settling down into the comfort of his chair.

"Goodnight little brother, and thank-you." Replied Marisol. Marisol closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.

Horatio got home and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt. He lay in bed thinking about the evening. He realised that Marisol had grown to mean more and more to him over each passing day as he got to know her more. He had been so touched that she had gone through all that effort for him even though she had had chemo that day. Just the thought of her gone brought a sharp pain to his chest. He was glad she was in his life. She brought him fresh perspective with her funny anecdotes and childhood memories that had been so different from his. He thought it was wonderful that she had hung on to her sense of humour through her illness. He closed his eyes as thoughts of her and sensations of her overcame him and he gently slipped into a deep sleep.

Marisol heard Eric's regular breathing and opened her eyes. In her hands she clutched Horatio's handkerchief, which he had left behind in her bathroom. She brought it to her face remembering the tenderness he had used when he was with her. She smelt him all over and it excited her. She opened it up and ran her fingers along the material; her fingers came to rest on the imprint that her tears had left on it. Letting out a sigh, she folded it up again and clutched it tightly as she sent a quick prayer to the Man above, thanking him for all that she had the pleasure of experiencing in the day. She turned on her side to face her brother and watched him sleep peacefully as she felt herself slipping into the cradling arms of a dream filled sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter. Any other way I can convince people to leave some more reviews??? This chapter is kind of long, I myself kind of got lost when writing it, so I hope it makes sense. Apologies in advance for any errors you find: at 4 am you tend to ignore the red and green squiggles. Cheers

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the CSI Miami characters you know about from the series. However Isabella and Christian (as boring as they may seem) are mine.

Closer 

It was a Thursday evening and Eric was driving Marisol to Horatio's house after attending evening service at Marisol's local church. Marisol had had three more chemotherapy sessions since the 'stunt' she had tried to pull off the previous week. True to his word, Eric had talked to Bella. Unfortunately she had a busy week at work and could only take Marisol for one of the sessions. Eric had been with her all the time after those sessions and had noticed some improvement in her condition. She was still experiencing nausea but the attacks were less frequent and as a result she had reduced her intake of marijuana by half an ounce without any adverse effects.

Eric smiled at her before remarking, "You look different, hardly see you in purple."

"Well actually it's fuchsia." She corrected him.

"Right." He smirked

Marisol gave him an embarrassed smile as she fiddled with the hem of her blouse. She wondered if Horatio realised that this was the eve of their one-month anniversary. Men were notoriously known to forget such dates, while such dates remained at the forefront of a woman's mind days in advance. She didn't want to make something out of nothing especially since she hadn't talked to him about the reasons why this relationship had just suddenly happened especially since she had wanted it to happen. It wasn't that things were moving too fast, she just didn't know where they were going at the moment. Their first dinner had just carried a momentum that had moved them forward into a relationship. Nevertheless she had bought him a gift that she hoped he would like. She had wrapped it up, glad that it was compact enough to fit in her purse. She vaguely wondered if women got more desperate with age and wondered if she'd be counted as one of them. Celebrating a one-month anniversary would never have occurred to her if she were still in her teens. All sorts of possible scenarios were running through her head of how to reduce the stupidity she'd feel if she were putting too much emphasis on this.

"Big night huh?" Eric's question brought her focus back to the present.

"No," she responded.

"One month anniversary hello? I thought women went gaga over significant dates?" Came her brother's surprised question.

"Oh, must have slipped my mind. Let's see…" she feigned innocence while pretending to count the weeks in her head, "Nah, not quite, it'll be exactly a month tomorrow."

"You've been forgetting your days a lot. Or is it just a very selective memory?" he smirked back.

"Little brother I live for the moment now, not the days or your usual time indicators." Marisol replied somewhat seriously. She felt a bit guilty because she knew it would throw Eric off her case, but she also felt it was an honest enough response.

Eric turned serious again, "Right…uh…sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like…like…" he gulped, unable to finish the sentence, unwilling to say out loud and acknowledge that Marisol's days were perhaps numbered and therefore destroy the reservoir of hope, he had been building, that she was getting better.

"It's all right." Marisol replied and patted his hand. She settled back in her seat to think again.

"Eric?"

"Mhmm."

"What kind of women is Horatio into?"

Eric took his eyes off the road for a second to show her his mock shock expression. "Certainly not the kind I'm into. Otherwise he'd be having heavy competition." They both laughed.

"No seriously Eric." Marisol asked.

Eric scrunched up his face, thinking for a moment, "Well, I don't know much. H.'s personal life has never been an object of speculation. However I do know that he went through a pretty ugly divorce when he was in New York and that kind of put the brakes on having a relationship for a long time. There's Yelina, but she's married to his brother and she just kind of disappeared. We could never figure out if he was just being over-protective of her or not."

"He had an affair with his sister-in-law?" Marisol asked, mouth agape that Horatio could have done such a thing.

"No, of course not. Marisol! If there's only one thing you really should know about Horatio, it's that he's there for his family, no matter what. They never had a relationship in the dating sense, especially with Raymond dead but then rumour has it that he's actually been alive for quite a while and that's why Yelina left the department to be with him... Either way, H. was a part of their lives. But no I don't think they've ever done anything to dishonour Raymond's memory. Yelina just had this special connection with him probably due to the fact that she's one of the few people to have known him from before… way before he transferred back to Miami from New York. They have a history, but I wouldn't say a romantic history. H. definitely had family issues, but the amazing thing is that he'd never let it interfere with the job. I don't know how the guy does it! Uh…let's see there was Rebecca Nevins. She was from the state attorney's office, but it went sour over a case. I guess that's the problem with office relationships."

"You hypocrite Eric! What exactly do you have with the Boa Vista woman?"

"Who… Natalia?" Eric shook his head, "We may, let me stress the MAY here. We may have dinner again; I'm just giving her some space. She's just getting back into dating. Besides I don't think we'd have a problem over a case because we're on the same team, but then I guess so were Horatio and Nevins. Hmmm, Marisol you do make life complicated! Maybe they didn't have chemistry, Natalia and I definitely have chemistry." He winked at his sister before continuing, "Either that or work ethic, who knows how H.'s mind works. The man is a genius on another level!"

"So what was Yelina like?" was Marisol's next question. She couldn't help but measure herself up against this woman who obviously had a special place in Horatio's world.

"Yelina…. where to start. Ok, she's Columbian and married H.'s younger brother Raymond. She's not just hot; she's beautiful: Chocolate skin, brown eyes and a figure that most models would die for. Yeah she was beautiful, she had amazing hair too, lovely curls…hey are you ok, you're not jealous are you?"

Marisol struggled to smile, suddenly seeing lots of reasons why Horatio could very possibly be just taking pity on her. She was everything that Yelina was not. "Well maybe a little…she sounds amazing."

"Not to make you feel any more jealous or worse but honestly she was amazing. She got along with everyone on the team and she was a great cop too, very thorough and never let a suspect push her around. But she's also been through a lot. I know Tripp misses having her as a partner because at times he's quite at a loss about what to make of H."

They soon pulled up to Horatio's house. Eric walked Marisol up to the door and waited with her till Horatio opened the door.

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It had been a normal day, in terms of workload, for Horatio at the lab, but with more concerns than usual. One of them being trying to figure out who was the mole in the lab and the second one being how bad Ryan's eye was. Horatio had spied him in the locker room punching his locker in. He took a pretty good guess that the frustration Ryan was venting was due to the doctor's visit that Horatio insisted Ryan make after having had a minor car accident earlier in the day. He would have to have another talk with Ryan soon about his eye to assess the situation, although Horatio was unwilling to face the fact that he may have to lose a potentially good CSI.

He decided to take his paperwork home with him that evening so that he could leave the lab early and have enough time to prepare for dinner with Marisol. He picked up his gift for her before going home. While he drove home he surprisingly found his thoughts shifting to her rather than to work as they normally did. The past week had been busy especially with the added nuisance of having to deal with IAB over Ryan's eye and he had been unable to see her. Instead, he had called her everyday since that night to see how she was doing. Her voice had genuinely expressed surprise each time he had called but he also heard the gladness in her voice when he spoke to her. Besides that, she always thanked him for calling but all through the conversations he couldn't help but feel that she was holding back something…

His mind wandered back to the previous evening he had spent with her. He had picked up the vibe when he entered her apartment that something was going on that she wanted to talk about. He had pushed that to the back of his mind later thinking it had been the onset of her nausea that had caused the atmosphere. But now he couldn't help but feel that he had been wrong. He sighed as he pulled into his driveway and pulled his sunglasses off wondering how tonight would go.

Horatio wasn't forgetful about such things as anniversaries and he wanted to make the evening perfect but he wasn't sure how she'd react, given her recent behaviour and contrasting signals she had been giving, albeit unconsciously but which Horatio had picked up on. As he prepared the ingredients for dinner, his feelings of anticipation of spending tonight in her company began to grow more and more. He found himself humming a tune in his kitchen while he imagined a hundred different ways of giving her his gift. He was then confronted with the problem of where to place the gift in such a location that she wouldn't notice, but where it would be in easy reach for him when the time came. After finishing dinner preparations he decided to start some paperwork before getting dressed.

Horatio was just putting some music on when he heard the doorbell ring. He smiled at the fact that she was right on time. He opened his door to find the Delektorskys on his doorstep.

"Hello there." He said as his breath got caught in his throat a little at seeing Marisol who never seemed to fail to take his breath away no matter what she wore.

"Hi." Marisol replied.

"H." came Eric's reply as he shoved his hands in jeans, rocking back on his heels slightly.

"Well won't you guys come in?" asked Horatio as he stepped away from the door, allowing them to come in.

"Sorry H. I have to run; I have dinner plans of my own. I guess I'll leave you two alone now." They all gave a short, strained laugh. He looked at Marisol and kissed her cheek, "Mari, call me if you need anything." He said before turning to leave.

Marisol and Horatio followed Eric with their eyes till he left. When Eric drove away, Marisol glanced at Horatio through lowered lids.

"Marisol…would you like to come in or would you like me to make dinner on my porch for you? There's a first time for everything." Horatio asked slightly amused.

"Uh…uh, sorry you're right. Yes we've been standing here for a bit." She mumbled quickly as she stepped past him into his house; his cologne gently filled her nostrils as she moved past him. She took note that it was a different cologne to his usual one.

"How was your day? You doing anything important tomorrow?" he asked as he shut the door behind her. He could sense her nervousness and he suddenly had the feeling that dinner might not be as perfect as he'd hoped it would be unless he pressed her slightly to tell him what was bothering her. Horatio wasn't normally one to press unless it was during a case but the atmosphere seemed a bit strained at the moment.

"It was ok, nothing out of the ordinary. Think I'll just stay home tomorrow, I brought some books home." She answered before asking, "How was your day?"

"A bit slow in terms of cases but lots of paperwork to keep the mind busy." He commented sarcastically. He took a step closer towards her, invading her personal space. He tilted her face upwards and gazed into her eyes, "Is something the matter Marisol, I can't help but feel that something's bothering you."

Marisol felt absolutely overawed to be captured in his gaze as his eyes searched her face, resting for a moment on her slightly parted lips before moving back to her eyes. Her mind shut down for a couple of moments completely taken by surprise by his move. She blinked a couple of times, "Well…well actually yes, yes there has been something on my mind." She responded a bit breathless. "Well it's really been on my mind for a while now. Can…can we sit down?"

Horatio peered at her closely trying to gain any hints about what exactly it was about, he took a step back, "Of course…do you mind if we sit outside? I thought I'd make dinner outside, well if that's all right with you?"

She gave him a smile, "Sounds lovely." He smiled back as he led her across the living room and out onto the small veranda, that overlooked the beach, through the sliding glass door. He placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her out. He pulled a chair out for her, as she placed her purse on the table, and then took a seat opposite her. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees as he settled to listen to her. She closed her eyes, as his scent filled her senses once more. When she opened them she found herself gazing into his blue depths, she bit down on her lip wondering how she would form coherent sentences while his gaze commanded hers and held her captive. She averted her eyes for a moment but then felt the undeniable pull of his gaze and looked back at him.

"Horatio…Horatio, I just want you to know that whatever happens as a result of this conversation, I… I've had a wonderful time with you these past weeks so thank-you for that. It's just that I…" she faltered.

Horatio felt his heart plummet with her words; she wasn't breaking things up with him was she?

She took a breath and continued, "I need to know that I'm not deluding myself into believing we have something that we don't." she paused again. She was just about to continue when her purse began to shudder against the wood of the table. She ignored it, but its persistent vibrations made her lose track of what she was going to say. She let out a big sigh glanced at the bag murderously, running a hand through her loose hair.

Horatio gave a small smile, "How about I get us a drink? You better get that, it may be urgent."

Marisol gave him a grateful smile. She was feeling a tiny bit relieved that she had managed to buy an extra bit of time. He got up and moved back inside. Marisol opened her purse and pulled out the vibrating menace. She glanced at the caller ID and noted with surprise that it was Bella. She stood up and took the call.

"Bella?" Marisol asked, leaning against a pillar and looking out onto the moonlit beach but not really taking in the scenery.

"Marisol…I'm sorry, I know you're having a very important dinner but I have a crisis on my hands. I need your help!"

"Bella, slow down, what's going on?" asked Marisol, her irritation immediately replaced with concern.

"It's Christian. He's bringing his parents for dinner and I completely forgot! Marisol! I just got home for chrissakes and found a message on the answering machine saying they'll be here in an hour. What am I going to do?" wailed Bella, on the point of hysteria.

"Bella, breathe! It's going to be fine, I'm here. Just relax." Marisol tried to get Isabella to calm down. "Ok listen…are you listening?" Marisol heard tapping on the glass behind her and turned around to see Horatio pointing to a bottle of red wine in his hand. She smiled and nodded. He smiled back and walked back into the kitchen

"Uh huh…I'm listening…"

Horatio watched her through the glass as she began pacing around his veranda, moving her hands around as she tried to give instructions to whomever she was talking to. He took his time opening the bottle, allowing her space and privacy to continue her phone call. He now had a feeling that Marisol would be steering the conversation towards commitment, something Horatio knew he didn't have a problem or issue with. He watched her end her call, she stood looking out towards the ocean for a moment before turning to face him through the glass. He picked up their glasses and made his way back out. Marisol watched Horatio approach her. She had sent Bella to her place to pick some dessert up and gave her the number of _Donatello's_ telling her to call them and order food from them, particularly their seafood risotto. Bella had worried how long it would take. Marisol assured her it would arrive in time knowing from experience that the manager ran an efficient establishment.

"Urgent?" he asked

"Urgent in a girly sense. More like bordering on desperation."

"Ah." was all he managed to say as he placed their glasses on the table, "Do you want to continue?"

"Uh...yes." she remained standing, fiddling with her phone as Horatio sat back down. She remained silent for a while, continuing to fiddle with the phone. Horatio with infinite patience reached up gently and plucked the phone from her hands and placed it near her glass. This brought her back, "Uh…right, yes. I…I really like being with you, you're like no one I've ever met, and you make me feel incredible, almost invincible." She paused and gave a small smile, as she felt herself blushing more and more with her revelations. "I just need to know that you're not having his relationship with me because you pity me in anyway. I just don't think I could bear it especially now that I'm beginning to feel so much more for you. Yeah…that's what I wanted to ask you…" she ended somewhat awkwardly.

Horatio stood up and was by her side in one stride, aware that it had taken courage to make the admission at all. He cupped her chin gently with his hand, raising her eyes to meet his so that she could feel the sincerity of his words. "Marisol, I don't pity you at all. I admire you…" he heard her all but inaudible gasp, "You don't know how much you've changed my world and my perspective with your company. I do feel something with you, I wonder if you feel it too?" she nodded her response unable to speak, "I hope I can put your doubts to rest, I would never do anything to hurt you, you've grown to mean so much to me. I want to continue seeing you and being with you."

"Really? Even though I'm sick?" she whispered, overcome by emotion and the elation she was feeling.

He nodded whispering into her ear, "That will never matter. I'm happy to simply just be with you." He drew her closer into him to embrace her.

She couldn't help but utter one more question, "Are you sure?"

"Sweetheart, without a doubt." The softness with which he whispered in her ear made her heart skip a couple of beats as her arms curled around his neck, hugging him and pulling him tightly against her. She pressed herself against his chest listening to his pounding heart and filling her senses with him. Horatio's heart jumped into his mouth as he felt a tenderness for this woman in his arms that overwhelmed his being. Everything about her from the vanilla scent of her hair to the warmth of her skin against his made him want to hold her forever and ever. They remained locked in each other's arms for a moment that just lasted - simple and perfect.

The only reason they had to break apart was the insistent vibrations of Marisol's phone. Marisol glanced over and saw the caller ID, sighing gently, unwilling to let go of Horatio, she savoured him against her for another moment before slowly disentangling herself from him. She reached up and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Thank- you Marisol." Came his unexpected response as his lips curved upwards into a soft smile.

She looked at him in confusion, "Thank-_you_ Horatio." She reached out for her phone.

He wrapped his arms around her waist as he whispered in her ear, "I'm going to start getting dinner ready." She turned around and kissed him on the cheek before accepting the call. He slipped away from her. Her mind registered this on another plane as she immediately began to miss his presence near her as she answered, "Yes Bella…"

"OK Marisol, I know you're going to kill me, but I have another favour to ask."

"Yep, I'm listening."

"I just got back from your place and managed to get the food sorted, but what am I going to wear? Christian just called to say that his colleague Peter Elliot and his partner, you know the blonde who works with Eric are coming for dinner too. Oh my god! What about drinks, aargh, what am I going to do?"

"Bella r-e-l-a-x, you have enough time. You have enough liquor to intoxicate twenty hotshot bankers if need be. Just get to a store nearby and buy some sodas just in case. Oh and buy some ice because there's no way you're gonna be able to freeze enough ice for drinks in 30 minutes. Call me when you get back and we'll sort out the outfit."

"Ok…I can't do this…I can do this. Marisol I'm going nuts, you're a star darling! I owe you. Bye." And with that Bella hung up.

Not as much as I owe you Bella she thought to herself. She mentally began racing through Bella's wardrobe, imagining a suitable outfit for dinner. She placed her phone back on the table and turn to face Horatio with a big grin as he came outside with the ingredients. He turned on the grill and waited for it to get hot. While he waited he placed Marisol's glass in her hand and picked up his own."

"A toast," he said raising up his glass, "To us and to the future."

"To us and to the future," Marisol echoed his words. They both clinked their glasses and then took a sip before setting their glasses down.

Horatio took Marisol in his arms once more; she easily slipped into his embrace, placing her hands around his waist, under his jacket, "You look stunning tonight Marisol."

She loved the way he said her name, where he put the accent and emphasis on her name. "Thank-you," her earlier shyness gone, she reached up to whisper in his ear, "I like the new cologne." She laughed as she saw his neck go slightly pink.

He muttered about it being a present from his nephew, some kind of retro cologne that he had never heard of. Horatio smelt the heat from the grill and pulled himself away from her. She sat down on the chair as Horatio began to cook. The atmosphere had lightened and was in the process of fulfilling the promise of being a perfect evening. Horatio was just dishing out the food onto their plates when Marisol's phone began to vibrate again. She glanced apologetically at him; he smiled in understanding motioning for her to take the call. She stood up and walked away to accept the call.

"Bella?"

"Marisol, I have 10 minutes, and I think I bought the 7/11 out."

Marisol couldn't help but laugh, Isabella tended to overdo things when she panicked.

"Hmm…for your outfit, I was thinking something elegant, but not too formal. I was thinking the oriental-style jade colored top over, navy jeans and leave your hair loose…"

"Marisol!" Bella yelled into the phone, Marisol held it away from her ear. She guessed Horatio heard it too because he looked up in surprise. "Its way too hot to a have that clingy top on and there's no way I'm leaving my hair down in this heat!"

"Ok, Bella, about something linen-y um…um… I know… the black linen trousers, the one with the print at the cuffs and the matching halter that we bought the other day." Marisol suggested next.

"Isn't that a bit uh…too revealing for dinner? I mean his parents are coming."

Marisol sighed thinking again. "Got it!" she snapped her fingers excitedly, "Wear your black and white striped skirt the one that flairs at the knees and the black beaded top, yeah, the one that leaves your shoulders a bit bare, but covers all the essential bits. How about that?"

"Great, sounds great. Oh man, 5 minutes. I better go. Thank-you Mari, you're a star!"

"Um…Bella try not to call again unless you have another crisis. Uhh… your calls have a way of coinciding with delicate moments."

"Sure Marisol." Marisol heard Bella trying to choke down laughter but not succeeding in doing it very well.

"Bella, I'm going to hang up now."

"Sure Mari, bye."

Marisol heard her friend laugh as she ended the call. She made her way back to the table where a piping hot plate was waiting for her.

"Everything all right?" Horatio asked.

"Oh yes…let's just say that it's Bella's turn to get the inquisition from her fiancée's parents." She replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Ah…the inquisitioner becomes the inquisitioned…Hmm, not even sure if that's English, but well you get what I mean right?"

"I certainly do. But it should be interesting especially since her future in-laws are a bit on the conservative side, and well Bella is anything but conservative." Marisol gave a small giggle as thought of her best friend having dinner with her future in-laws.

"If you don't mind me saying Marisol, you snap your fingers incredibly loud for a lady." He commented curiously.

"Really?" she glanced at her hands, "I've never really noticed."

"Yes, it's a very crisp, clear snap, no blunt sound at all."

Marisol was a bit shocked that he had taken all this in, in the space of not more than 5 seconds, but then realised it was probably part of his job to take in small details. She thought about it for a while before responding, "Now that you mention it, I guess it's because in school, let's see it was probably middle school…yeah, we used to have this game the girls played against the boys, it was all to do with clicking and using our hands to make different noises. We used to have little routines. I guess I got it from there. Haven't done the motions for a while though." She put down her fork and shadowed the patterns with her hands, trying to remember the intricate ways her hands as moved as a youth. "I could give you a demonstration." She said when some of it came back to her.

"Love to see one." He replied interested.

She frowned seriously in concentration and bit down on her lip. He watched her hand ball into a fist that her palm smacked down on to give a hollow sound, before her fingers uncurled to produce a variety of snaps at different tones to form a sort of rhythm that was punctuated here and there by a deeper sound when she tapped her wrist and elbow in time with the beat she set up. She made a mistake and then stopped and smiled, "Sorry, I can't remember the rest."

"Wow, that was great, really. Didn't know you could use all your fingers to snap. You guys must have really practiced a lot. Did you ever beat the boys?"

"Well it kind of ended a draw, because we kind of grew out of it by 7th grade. You know the whole boy/girl division thing just grew and we looked for other ways to compete with each other."

"Well maybe you can get me to improve my snapping skills." Horatio said as he tried it only to find out that his left hand was much weaker and blunter than his right.

Marisol laughed as she watched him try, "Well perhaps Lieutenant, if you'd be so kind as to lend me this recipe. It's delicious." She pointed with her fork at her food, eyebrows raised in expectation.

"Why thank you Miss, I aim to please, but alas I cannot process your request, secret recipe, I mean I can give you the recipe but what really matters is what type of fish you use, that's the real secret."

"Men have cooking secrets? Tell me another one." She rolled her eyes over dramatically and laughed. He laughed with her.

Their conversation moved on and by the time Horatio served dessert they were on the subject of discussing second names. By the time they finished dinner it was 11.30 p.m. Marisol helped Horatio clear the table.

"Just give me a minute will you while I load the dishwasher?" He said turning to take the plates from her hand

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"If you don't mind can I have a peek around?" she asked a bit shyly.

"Sure, go ahead."

Marisol wandered around. She didn't go upstairs, content to see the ground floor rooms. She noted the guest bedroom had been converted into a study. She guessed when he was home he spent most of his time in here, maybe even slept here noting the leather couch in one corner with blanket folded over one of the arms. He had a couple of photos frames on his desk. Marisol resisted the temptation of peeking at them, knowing she'd be invading his privacy. He hadn't talked much about his family and Marisol had left it at that, willing to wait for him and wanting him to feel comfortable enough around her to confide in her.

She left his study and went back into the living room. It was then she noticed the photos on the mantle. She picked one of them up: it was of Horatio and a young boy, probably about 8 who was sitting on top of Horatio's shoulders. It looked like a very spontaneous picture as both had big, surprised smiles on their faces. The photo next to it seemed to have been taken a couple of years ago during Christmas time: there was a man whose only resemblance to Horatio was the red hair. A beautiful woman stood next to him, a smile on her face and a toddler in her arms. She guessed the woman was probably Yelina. Eric was right, she thought, she did look amazing. Marisol straightened up as she felt Horatio's presence in the room.

"Hi." She said

"Hey." He replied. "Would you give me the pleasure of dancing with me?" He asked putting his hand out, as the opening melody of Nat 'King' Cole's _Unforgettable _started to play.

"The pleasure's all mine. I didn't know Lieutenants could dance?" she asked, giving him her hand. He pulled her close to him as they began to move together. He wrapped his arm around her waist and entwined his fingers with hers.

"Oh it's a very important part of the job description, especially if one always needs to charm during a black-tie affair when the crime lab needs an increase in funding, as mine occasionally does." He replied slyly, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Ah, I see." Came her reply. They moved in silence around his living room. He twirled her around slowly and brought her closer into him, her hand came to rest on his lapel near his heart. He placed his hand on top of hers. He looked down into her eyes that were brimming with happiness and was happy that he made her feel that way. Marisol looked up at him, wanting to kiss him so much that she bit her lip down thinking about it. They continued to move as Joe Cocker's _Love lifts us up where we belong_ began to play.

He glanced at the clock on the mantle and could just make out the time to be three minutes to midnight. He looked down at her again and noticed her biting her lip. He twirled her around again and when he pulled her in this time he placed his thumb on her lip and rubbed it gently, softly saying, "You bite your lip way too much."

"Bad habit, I know." She replied softly as she moved to hook her arms around his neck as his hands came around to hold either side of her waist. They continued to dance, bodies slightly apart but foreheads practically touching as they maintained eye contact.

The song ended and they stopped moving, resting their foreheads against each other, enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

Horatio inched his way closer to her lips, drawing her into him. She didn't resist him or tell him to stop, her eyes if anything gave him confidence to continue. He lingered for a final moment just to be sure. Their breathing had gone quiet, and all was still in the room…

Their eyes remained locked on each other as he slowly pressed his mouth onto hers, deliberately taking it slow, teasing her and tasting her with his probing tongue. He deepened their kiss as he heard her moan softly. His thumbs gently stroked her bare shoulders. Her hands strayed to his hair as she let him play havoc with her senses.

"Happy Anniversary Marisol," he said as they broke apart for air.

"Happy Anniversary Horatio," she said reaching up to kiss him once again and then rested her head against his chest. His arms closed around her and she felt safe and unconditionally happy. She then remembered her gift for him. "I have something for you," she said as she led him to the leather couch.

"And I have something for you," he replied linking her hand in his as they sat down. Marisol reached for her purse while Horatio took out her gift from the drawer in the stool near the couch. They exchanged gifts. Marisol insisted that he open his first. He did and he loved it, "Marisol it's lovely. How did you know?"

"Well I'm pretty obsessed with watches too, takes one to know one." She replied smiling, glad that he liked it. He urged her to open hers. She let out a small gasp, as she peeked into the velvet-lined case, "Horatio, how did _you_ know?"

He shrugged slightly, "I had a little help from Eric." He watched her mouth curve into a smile. "I have to say I was surprised when he told me what to get you as a potential gift. I just looked at him and asked him what the heck a PSP was!"

"I might just end up spending more time with that thing than with you now. It's really quite addictive. I literally overplayed my last Playstation Portable to death."

"Not a good thing then, because it sounds a lot like my nephew," he replied, playfully grim.

"Maybe I can convert you or maybe you can make me cut my PSP addiction?" Marisol asked jumping into his lap brushing her fingers across his lips.

"Perhaps." He replied smiling as he kissed her fingers before claiming her lips once again.

"Thank-you for this wonderful evening. It's perfect." She said as they broke apart again. She took the watch out from its case, "May I?" she asked gesturing to his wrist.

"Of course you may."

She took his wrist and unclasped the watch he was wearing. She placed it aside and kissed his pale skin, she felt the tremors run down his arm and smiled before placing her gift on his wrist and adjusted the strap. She took his hands and kissed them before looking up into his eyes, content to lose herself in his gaze. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

Her phone began to vibrate again. Horatio laughed as Marisol said, "Bella's phone is so going to get chucked into the sea the next time I see her." Marisol got up off Horatio's lap as she accepted the call,

"Another life or death Bella?" she asked, slight exasperation in her voice.

"Marisol? It's Christian." Came the voice at the other end.

"Christian! Gosh, sorry! Yeah it's me, what's going on?" she mumbled embarrassed about not having checked the caller ID.

"I just wanted to say thanks for tonight. Isabella told me what happened. And you gave some pretty good advice. My parents are really taking to her." He chuckled.

"Oh, that's good to hear. It was no problem, really. Although you should warn them about the 'holier than thou' expressions she has. Besides, Bella would have done the same for me if I had a similar crisis. Mind you, she was really close into going into hysterics."

"I gathered as much when we got here." laughed Christian, "Well we're about to turn in, Bella just wanted to know if you're home yet?"

Marisol's gaze turned to Horatio who felt her gaze on him and looked up. "Um…yeah, I guess I will be soon." She gave a short laugh, "Tell Bella, I'll see her soon. Bye."

"Bye Marisol, and thanks again."

"No worries, bye." She ended the call and turned to Horatio.

"How was the crisis?" he asked,

"Oh I think it worked out. I better call Eric to come get me."

"No worries. I'll drop you home if you like." He offered

"But it's really out of your way Horatio."

"Please?"

"Well only if I can steal another kiss from you." She asked shyly.

He smiled as he took her into his arms and kissed her again, she put her head against his shoulder and said thoughtfully, "You know, I think your kisses could very possibly break my bad habits."

He laughed, "Thanks for informing me about my bargaining options," he said slyly. "Should we make a move?" he asked.

"Yeah, because knowing Bella she'll call me in half an hour to ask about me… she can't help being overprotective, even when we were kids. It's in her nature." Marisol replied to Horatio's raised eyebrow.

The journey to Marisol's was over before they knew it. There had been surprisingly little traffic on the way. The conversation had been loosely based on anecdotes that they had heard over the years as well as a couple of minutes of Marisol passionately trying to convince Horatio about the benefits of the Playstation franchise, to which Horatio wryly shook his head unable to fathom the arguments being presented in its favour.

Horatio walked Marisol to her door and waited for her to open it. She offered making him a cup of coffee. He declined thinking about the paperwork on his desk at home, which he had yet to make a dent in. He wished her goodnight when to his surprise she kissed him passionately before saying, "Thank-you for making tonight perfect."

"It was my pleasure," he grinned feeling like a teenager by being slightly taken aback by her kiss. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Horatio," she whispered before closing the door.

He turned and walked back to the car wondering what she'd think of the surprise he'd give her later.


	4. Chapter 4

Penny for your thoughts

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the comments I've received from reviwers, much appreciated!! I know I said I'd tweak the characters a bit, but I just realised that in the previous chapter that I've tweaked some of the pairing in S4. This chapter took a long time to write for some reason (have to admit that it's perhaps quite sappy), think my muse is a bit cheesed off at me for some reason, so this isn't a great chapter but I hope you enjoy reading it. Apologies for any errors you may find, the English language was never my strong point in school. Please do review, looking forward to your thoughts on this chapter. One more thing, are any of my reviewers fluent in Spanish?? could I get in touch with you for a future chapter because I've lost faith in online translators. Cheers

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognise from the CSI:M series, and Heller Park only exists in my mind, I do own Isabella and Christian but they don't feature much in this chapter.

The distant knocking in Marisol's dream didn't quite coincide with the events occurring in her sub-conscious. Her sub-conscious slowly released its hold on her mind and let it drift back to the realm of consciousness. She kept her eyes closed enjoying the warmth of the sun, coming from the window above her, and lazily listened to the sounds of the day around her. She could hear song birds, the traffic and distant voices drifting to her through her window, and now and again that annoying but seemingly distant knocking. She opened her eyes only for her vision to be hit directly by the sunlight. She shut her eyes quickly again. She registered that someone was knocking on her door but she hoped the knocking would stop if she ignored it. It soon began to grate on her nerves. She groaned and rolled onto her side. She opened her eyes again and sat up. She got up and felt her stomach lurch a little. She sat down again, gently rubbing her front. She stood up again and glanced at the clock. She made her way down the small flight of steps leading from the upper landing to the ground floor of her apartment.

"Coming!" she yelled, cursing under her breath in a mixture of Spanish and Russian at whoever was standing on her doorstep for their patience.

"Flowers for Ms. Delektorsky." came a heavy southern drawl from the other side of the door.

Rubbing her eyes, Marisol glanced through the peephole and saw two bouquets that were literally over-flowing from the delivery guy's hands. She drew back the various bolts and opened the door.

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"Hey Calleigh, have you seen Horatio?" asked Alexx walking into the ballistics lab where Calleigh was nursing a cup off coffee while looking at some paperwork. "Are you all right honey?"

"Yes, thank-you Alexx. Now what can I do for ya?"

"Nuh-uh, Calleigh, that looks like a look of love. Methinks things are going good with Agent Elliot_?"_

Calleigh continued to draw circles in her mug with the plastic spoon, "You thinks right, Dr.Woods." she laughed, before revealing more, "Peter and I had dinner with one of his colleagues last night and then we went back to his place…"

"Stop right there honey! Those details are strictly reserved for coffee breaks. I'm glad to hear you're seeing him again."

"Me too." Calleigh sighed happily, "Now what can I do for you?"

"I was looking for Horatio, I have some autopsy details on a case he wanted."

"Think I saw him going into his office. He's probably doing his paperwork like the rest of us. Did you try calling him up there? Gees! Every time we solve a case the paperwork for it seems to triple!"

"Better you guys than me," Alexx smiled, "No I just came from his office and it's closed."

"Well then, how's about we have that coffee break now? And on our way there, ask Paula where he is?"

"Sounds good to me Sugar." Replied Alexx.

They walked out of ballistics and headed up for the break room chatting about the previous evening. Walking up to the reception desk, Calleigh noticed that it wasn't Paula, but a new officer, manning the front desk.

"Um hi there, is Paula here?" asked Calleigh in a friendly tone.

"She has a week's leave starting today ma'am. I'm Officer Evans how can I help?" came the monotone reply.

"Well…I'm CSI Duquesne and this is my colleague Doctor Woods, we were just wondering about Lieutenant Caine's whereabouts as we have some information for him."

The officer looked at his screen and typed in a command and clicking around, before replying, "He's not here today."

"Pardon?" blurted Calleigh and Alexx one after the other.

"It says on the system that the Chief has approved the Lieutenant's application to take the day off today. It also says that Lieutenant Caine should only be contacted if there's an emergency."

"Did…Did you say Lieutenant Caine applied to take…take today off?" stuttered Alexx, eyes wide with disbelief.

"That's what it says on the system ma'am. The night supervisor is on duty for the day-shift today."

"Thank-you Officer." mumbled Calleigh as she took Alexx's arm and steered her towards the break room, muttering under her breath that she really needed another coffee.

Alexx snapped out of her momentary lapse, turned to Calleigh and remarked, "Just when you think you've got a man figured out, they find a way of turning your theory upside-down."

"You're preaching to the choir with that one Alexx," said Calleigh as she opened the door to the break room.

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"What in the world?" came Marisol's surprised question as she recognised Horatio's blue irises peeking over the tops of the flowers. "Horatio, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" she asked as she stepped back and let him come in.

He peeked at her over the flowers before heading towards the kitchen and setting them down on the table. She followed him and stopped to watch him at the kitchen door. He turned to face her leaning against the counter, a broad smile on his face, a bit too broad she thought as the image of her pillow skittered across her mind. She glanced him over still not quite sure what to make of the blue jeans and yellow polo shirt he was wearing. She had never seen him in anything but his dress shirts and jacket. He continued to smile trying to draw her out of the last vestiges of sleep.

His smile slowly turned from being broad to sheepish as he said, "I guess I woke you up, huh?"

She nodded the affirmative before replying, "I guess you did." She shook her head, "It's time I got up anyway, so what's going on, and what was up with that accent?"

"Well, seeing that today is a very special day, I…" he paused, "…I decided to take the day off and spend it with you." He watched her break out into a huge smile.

"You took the day off for me?" she asked a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"I did," came his quick answer followed by a nod.

"Uh…well, well that's lovely… I mean thank-you… I know you're really busy, it means a lot." She stumbled over the words, happy that she could spend some more time with him, she glanced down timidly and then slowly raised her eyes to meet his.

"Means a lot to me too…" he trailed off as he felt his mouth go dry. They stood in silence for a couple of seconds. "So did you like the accent, I think my ballistics expert would have been proud of it?"

Marisol giggled, "Well you had me completely fooled!" she shook her head again trying to gather her thoughts before continuing, "Horatio I'm sorry. This really does mean a lot to me, sorry, don't think I've quite woken up, feels very dream like."

"Well then, let me prove how real everything is," he said flirtatiously as he stretched his hand out towards her trying to pull her towards him, but missing and just brushing her arm as she took a step back.

His touch on her arm alone sent electric shivers through her. Her eyes remained trained on the floor as she blushed realising she was quite scantily clad in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of night shorts. She bit her lip, in an attempt to stop blushing. Horatio took a stride towards her, resting his hand against her cheek and gently caressed the shallow imprints that her pillow had left against her cheek. He felt her skin grow hot beneath his palm as she began to blush more and more.

He broke the silence, "I made a plan to make today perfect," he said huskily as he took her hands in his, softly squeezing them

"Unless you want to create a whole new meaning to the word perfect, you just being here with me today is perfect. Besides you made last night perfect." she replied immediately, raising her eyes to his as her hand moved up to play with the buttons that led up to his collar.

He lowered his head, cocking it to one side so that he could maintain eye contact with her. He was just about to kiss her when she stepped back from him, holding one hand over her mouth and using her other hand to fend him off. He looked at her in confusion. She smiled back at him before replying, "Sorry, I'm very particular about oral hygiene. I haven't brushed my teeth yet. Just one of the many things I'm a bit anal about."

He let out a soft chuckle his head going down as he took out his sunglasses to fiddle with. "Well I've made a couple of arrangements, so we'll leave whenever you're ready."

"Ok, just give me a couple of minutes…uh…just make yourself at home…help yourself to anything. Is there a particular dress-code for where we're going?"

"Ok, thank-you. Uh…I think simple casual should be good enough, something you might not mind getting dirty."

Marisol's curiosity was now fully aroused, "And Horatio…"

"Mmhh?"

"Thank-you for the flowers, they're beautiful. I think you must have paid your florist a fortune by now."

"You're welcome, but I can't take the credit for these," he pointed to the Oberon freesias, "They were already on your doorstep when I got here."

Marisol crossed over to where he was standing and hunted around for a card. She pulled one out from the depths of the bouquet. She opened the miniature envelope read the note and laughed, "It's from Isabella and Christian apologising profusely for last night." she said handing him the note to read.

Horatio smiled slightly as he read the witty note. He put it back in the envelope before placing the envelope back onto the table between the two bouquets. Marisol was slipping out of the door, when she called to him, "Horatio, really help yourself to anything you want."

"Thank-you" he called out.

Horatio sighed and walked out of the kitchen towards the living room. His eyes glanced around the room quickly taking everything in. He stretched and yawned checking the time and mentally planning out the route he had in mind. He had managed to catch two hours sleep last night in between finishing his paperwork and preparing for their little excursion. He noticed the thick ledgers carelessly lying on the table; a pen stuck in between the pages of one, and the stack of invoice and delivery books nearby. He smiled remembering his surprised reaction when she told him about her career and smiled. He considered making himself a cup of coffee, but shrugged off his caffeine craving. Thinking Marisol would be a while; he decided to close his eyes for 5 minutes.

Marisol ran up to her bathroom. She looked in the mirror and gasped, she looked a right mess! Her hair was tousled all over and one side of her face had a pillow imprint, any other way you could make yourself more unappealing Marisol? she thought to herself as she brushed her teeth. Her heart was beginning to soar as she realised the significance of Horatio missing work just to be with her. The fact that he had made special plans for them too was overwhelming. He had been there so much for her – had he really gone from being a stranger to an intimate part of her life in 4 weeks? She pondered if there was anyway she could be there for him in the same way. What could she bring to his life that he hadn't already experienced? She was still exploring the different avenues that this line of thought led to, as she got dressed. She chose a pair of navy, knee-length shorts, a light blue tank top and a pair of white tennis shoes. She pulled her hair up in a pony- tail, and checked her appearance in the mirror one last time before going downstairs.

Horatio's phone vibrating in his pocket caused him to bolt wide-awake He felt disorientated for a split second before realising he was at Marisol's. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. He rubbed his face, smiling before answering.

"Caine here,"

"Horatio, Alexx here."

"What can I do for you Alexx."

"Just wanted to check that things were ok with you? You're not sick or anything are you?"

"They're fine thanks, I'm quite well, I just uh…I just had some stuff to do today."

"Ok, sugar," her voice conveying that he hadn't quite convinced her, her tone switched as she said, "I know you're only supposed to be called if there's an emergency but I wanted to run some things past you, if that's all right with you?"

Horatio stood up, running his hand over his face unsure of how much longer Marisol would be, "Sure Alexx, go ahead."

Alexx had just launched into a description of an autopsy finding and possible conclusions when Marisol came down the stairs. She peeped into the living room and saw him looking out of the window, on the phone, immersed in conversation. She continued to stare at him taking in his reflection from the windows. That's when she noticed the slight circles round his eyes. She wondered how she had missed those earlier. She felt her stomach rumble a little. Horatio heard it too because he turned around and gave a small wave. She gestured that she was going to make coffee and a bagel, and whether he wanted one. He shook his head at her.

Marisol walked into her kitchen. She popped a bagel into the toaster and started the percolator. She was just taking some cream cheese out of the fridge when she felt her stomach lurch again, she grabbed the counter and forced herself to breathe deeply. She made her way to other side of the kitchen, hand pressed slightly against her abdomen. Horatio having given his analysis hung up, and was drawn to the kitchen by the wafting smell of the percolating coffee. He arrived to see Marisol rubbing her abdomen with her fist as she swallowed some pills along with some water.

"You ok?" he asked quietly.

"Fine. Really." she answered quickly, unwilling to worry him about her health today, "Just the body reminding me that it's time to take the pills." She felt her stomach lurch slightly again, but accredited it this time to Horatio's penetrating gaze on her. "Sure you don't want anything to eat?"

He nodded leaning against the table, watching her spread the cream cheese on the bagel, concern in his eyes.

She sighed and put the bagel down, "Horatio, I'm fine, really." She patted him on the shoulder as she moved past him to pour coffee into two mugs.

He held up his palms in acknowledgement before gratefully taking the mug from her, relishing the smell of the coffee, "Thank-you."

"Not accepted," she said, as he raised a questioning eyebrow, "well it will be, but only if you have a bite of this." She said offering him a bite of her bagel. He sighed, rolling his eyes and put his mug down on the table before reaching for her and drawing her to him, bagel still in hand, trapping her between his long, outstretched legs. She placed her free hand just above the waistband of his jeans and poked him slightly, a low growl responded to her poke.

"Ok, guilty," he said sheepishly as he took a bite out of the bagel, chewing slowly and thoughtfully.

"Do you think while you chew?" she asked watching him.

"Sometimes," he replied before taking a sip of coffee.

"Deep thinking?" she asked playfully as she offered him some more, which he took gently from her offering fingers.

"Mmhmm." he nodded, a twinkling in his eyes. She took one more bite before offering him the last piece, which he accepted. He swallowed down the rest of his hot coffee, "Shall we go?" he asked staring her in the eye.

"Just give me a minute. Let me give these beauties some water," she replied as she finished her coffee and placed their mugs in the sink before turning her attention to the flowers.

"Ok, can I help?"

"Sure, uh…could you get me the empty vases from the living room, on the stools at the far end of the room."

"Be right back." He said disappearing and reappearing a moment later, vases in hand. She added some water and took the flowers out and mixed them together while filling the vases. Horatio just stood back and watched her. She stepped back eyeing them critically for a moment before placing them on the table.

"That…is lovely," he said coming up behind her and kissing her on the cheek,

"Why thank-you," she replied taking his hand and leading him towards the front door. "How about I meet you at the car? I just need to grab some pills,"

"Ok, see you downstairs in five minutes then." He said understanding that she still wasn't comfortable about her illness around him.

Marisol ran upstairs and rummaged around for a small knapsack. She placed her tablets, cell phone and camera in it. She looked around her room to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything when her eye fell on her CD collection case. An idea flashed through her mind so she picked it up and tossed it casually inside the knapsack before zipping it up and leaving to join Horatio.

Marisol came downstairs and peeked into the backseat of his car, where she saw two blankets, and two small cooler boxes, and then jumped into the passenger seat beside him.

"Are we going for a picnic?" she asked excitedly,

"Hey no peeking!" called Horatio, but seeing her face he nodded.

"Sounds fab!" she said leaning over to kiss him impulsively on the cheek, "It's been ages since I went on a picnic, well a romantic one at least," she giggled, rolling down her window.

"Well it's been ages since I've been on any kind of picnic." retorted Horatio as he started the car and pulled out of the parking space.

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Marisol tried guessing all the various places they could possibly be going too but each possibility just got an indifferent nod from him, "Marisol, I'll give you a hint, it's a 3 hour drive from Miami, and we'll leave it at that."

"Ok," she said brightly, confining her guesswork to her mind as she looked out the window and taking in the passing scenery. After a couple of minutes she began to sneak glances up at him through lowered eyelids. She couldn't help it. He looked so damn handsome in what he was wearing, with one hand on the wheel, while the elbow of his other arm, casually rested half out the window, his hair blowing lightly with the wind. Horatio noticed her stares and said, "Marisol, my lips are sealed, you're just going to have to wait and see."

"Huh." Marisol said confused as she realised he was talking about their secret location, "Yeah, sure, sure…" glad that he had misinterpreted her looks. "Can I put some music on?" she asked.

"Sure."

Marisol grinned pulling out her CD collection case and flipped the covers looking for the one CD she had in mind, _The world's best Power Ballads, _she pushed the CD into the CD player and grinned as the familiar opening of Queen's _'We will rock you'_ began to play.

"A song I recognise, but haven't heard in ages," replied Horatio somewhat thankfully, "I was expecting something a bit more modern." He was relieved because he just wasn't able to keep up with the pop music of the times, as he had been able to when he was younger. On occasion he did put the radio on he just listened in amazement at how the music industry had changed since his younger days but soon turned it off, unable to take the wailing voices and the swearing.

"What can I say, I'm a 60's baby, a 70's kid, an 80's teenager, a 90's young person and an oldie in the new millennium." She said shrugging her shoulders.

He laughed at her brief description of herself, "Not that you look it Marisol. But that is quite an apt summary."

"I know, but I still enjoy my 80's music. Not that I don't keep up with the times but the 80's… man were those the times!"

"Yes, the 80's." was all Horatio said knowing he had lived a very different 80's decade than her. He looked at her and couldn't help but laugh as she imitated the guitar motions that sounded at the end of the song. Horatio soon found himself drumming along on the steering wheel to the songs on the CD. Marisol kept the conversation flowing by filling him on what happened to the different 80's legends: who they'd married, who they had divorced and other aspects of their scandalous lives.

About an hour before reaching their destination, Horatio turned off the highway onto a murram road. Marisol couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh Horatio Heller Park!"

"Yep, Heller Park, thought it would be the most quiet at this time of year."

"I haven't been here for ages. Thank-you." She said as she reached up to kiss him on the cheek again.

"Glad to hear." He said smiling.

They drove on for another hour, taking in the peaceful countryside around them. Heller Park had originally been a limestone quarry but after mining had been completed instead of leaving the land as an eyesore, the mining company had made the quarry into a park by afforestation and brought in animals to be integrated into the new environment. The overall plan had worked, with a park in one section of the quarry and a nature trail in the other sections, where there were a variety of animals such as tortoises, deer, birds, squirrels amongst many others in their seemingly natural surroundings.

"So how well do you know Heller Park?" Marisol asked as they drove into the main entrance.

"Got to know it pretty well during a case we had here a couple of years back." He replied as he pulled into a parking space and switched the engine off.

"So do you know about the perfect place?" she asked as the got out of the car.

"I think so," he said, mentally visualising the spot he had picked for today.

They walked to the reception and registered as day-visitors before heading back to the car to pick up their picnic stuff. Horatio picked up the cooler boxes while Marisol carried the blankets.

"Uh…Horatio," he looked up at her, "I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a second." She said turning around and making her way back to the reception area. She came back a few minutes later, to find Horatio locking the car. She hoisted her knapsack onto her shoulders and looked around as Horatio picked up the cooler boxes and remarked, "They've really changed the layout, that path used to go to the snake farm and that one went to the butterfly farm but it's all different now."

Horatio nodded as he walked towards the path that she had pointed out as leading to the butterfly farm. Marisol walked by his side, telling him about the time when she had come here with her class in junior high, and how much trouble they had got into when they were found playing spin the bottle in the boys tent. Horatio just laughed, happy to hear her about her recollections. They walked on for about 30 minutes.

Horatio set the cooler boxes down as they came into a clearing and turned to face Marisol, "Well is this the perfect spot you had in mind? Because it's what I had in mind." He said softly, as she stopped to stand beside him taking in the view. There were two hillocks surrounded by a small lake. On top of one of them was a massive baobab tree that offered some shade from the noonday sun, while the other had a giant projecting rock outcrop from its centre. There was a narrow weed-choked boardwalk that led from where they were standing, across the lake and onto one of the hillocks.

"I sure did." She replied grinning as Horatio's fingers gently closed around her wrist drawing her to him. She reached up to take his sunglasses off before her arms encircled his neck and she smiled up at him. He smiled back, thinking he had never let anyone do that with his sunglasses. She felt like she was in one of those 'Kodak moment' adverts where the sun was shining down on the two of them in a beautiful place as they leaned in for a kiss. They soon broke apart for air and Marisol handed his sunglasses back to him, which he promptly slipped back onto his face. They picked up their belongings and made their way to the hillocks.

Marisol spread the blankets out under the baobab tree as Horatio unpacked one of the cooler boxes and handed her a bottle of water, which she gladly accepted taking deep gulps.

"That was refreshing," she said as she sat down on the blanket. "This is embarrassing, but I have to admit I'm kind of hungry."

Horatio sat down opposite her, "Ok for lunch I thought I'd do something simple so I made apple salad and tuna subs…."

Marisol interrupted him, "And let me guess, the secret ingredient is really what type of tuna you use right? " she smirked.

"Absolutely." He replied matching her tone as last night's conversation came back to him.

"Sounds yummy. I know all about your tuna subs. Eric couldn't stop talking about them after a staff trip once." She said waiting with child-like anticipation as he handed her a paper plate with a foil wrapped tuna sub and a small plastic tub containing the salad.

"Yes, well…you have a good memory, because the last staff trip was over three years ago." Horatio replied, blushing slightly as he began unwrapping his own sub.

They looked at each other, each waiting for the other to start before laughing and biting into their subs at the same time. Marisol munched happily before remembering she was supposed to take her pills before eating. She put her plate down and reached for her knapsack drawing out the small bag of pills. Horatio put his own plate down and watched her.

"Horatio…."

"Mmhmm."

"Could please close your eyes while I take my pills?"

He blinked at her, thinking for a second that he had misheard her until she repeated her request again.

"Please?"

"Uhh…ok" he said, still befuddled by her and his own actions of giving in so readily to her request. He closed his eyes and heard her shift away from him, hearing the swallowing sounds not long after.

She reached over and brushed his bare arm, "Thank-you. You can open them now." He opened his eyes to find her face inches from his before her lips brushed his. She sat back down on her heels saying, "I'm sorry Horatio, I'm still pretty self-conscious about it."

"That's ok," he said softly.

They continued to eat. Horatio soon had Marisol laughing as he described what happened on their staff outings. While Marisol shared what she knew of them, by word of mouth, from Eric. By the time they finished and put away the remnants of their lunch, it was just gone half-past 3. Horatio settled down under the shade of the tree with his back against the tree trunk. Marisol sat across him, silent for a while.

"Penny for your thoughts." He asked her as he held his hand out to her.

"I was just thinking how different you look and seem today." she replied as she gave him her hand. He pulled her to him. She sat down in between his parted legs. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against her hair, breathing in the vanilla scent of her hair. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the soft thud of his heart while she played with his hands.

"I do?" he asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yep, you seem more relaxed, and I mean c'mon you pulling off that southern accent in what you normally wear. Just can't imagine that." She said running her fingers along the lines of his hand.

"Guess it must be the effect you have on me," he murmured into her hair, before planting a kiss on her forehead. She looked up into his face and smiled.

"Can I take your sunglasses off?"

"Well you certainly didn't ask for permission last time," he grinned as he took them off and gently tossed them to one corner of the blanket.

"Thank-you. I love your eyes. Do you know that every time I see the color blue now, I compare it to your eyes? But I haven't been able to find a perfect hue to match them yet." She looked up at him again smiling, "Although, I think the sky does come pretty close, but I can never decide because both you and it are always changing."

Horatio felt a lump form in his throat he didn't know what to say, he hadn't heard anyone talk about his eyes in a long time. The last time it had been Yelina, and even then it was only in relation to maintaining eye contact with her. He was so overcome by her simple view of things."

"This is nice," she said snuggling further into his chest not noticing his silence.

"Yes it is." He managed to reply.

After a couple of minutes she sighed and pulled her head off his chest and turned to face him, "Horatio…"

"Yes." Came his husky reply through half-closed eyes.

"Congratulations on creating a new meaning to the word perfect."

"Thank-you. Anything for you."

"Horatio."

"Mhmm."

"How long did it take to get all this ready?" she asked trying to subtly bring up the faint circles under his eyes.

He opened his eyes fully, curious about her question, "A couple of hours, why?"

"Because, you once told me that I was straining myself too much for you, but these faint circles, tell me you've been straining _yourself_ too much on _my_ account." She said as she traced out them out under his eyes.

"Yeah…I had some paperwork to do. I'm fine, really. I normally get the healthy six hours." He said, lying through his teeth. He thought himself lucky if he was able to get 5 hours straight sleep.

She shook her head in mock exasperation not believing him for a second. "Please get some rest." before she stretched up to whisper in his ear, "You're a very bad liar, Lieutenant."

Horatio couldn't help but laugh "Yes ma'am," he replied before claiming her lips with his. Marisol settled down against his chest again. She soon felt him loosen his hold around her and she knew he was asleep. She pressed her face into him again as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, he stirred lightly. She wanted this moment to be hers forever. When she had filled her senses with him and committed every detail about this day to her memory she whispered against his heart how much she loved him and then slipped out off his embrace.

Opening her knapsack she took her camera out and wandered down the hillock and began snapping pictures. She tried to focus on Horatio with her lens and managed to get him as a silhouette against the tree. She used the review button on the camera to see that the photo had come out very well. She then moved around and got some shots of both the hillocks. She then scrambled to the top of the second hillock with the rock outcrop and took some shots of the view she had. She took some pictures of the remnants of their picnic before taking some more snaps of Horatio sleeping and looking at ease, his brow less creased and his side fringe falling on one side of his face. Feeling the sun on her face she lay down on the slope of the hillock relishing its warmth. She turned her eyes upwards to the sky, enjoying the rainbows dancing at the periphery of her vision. She looked at the clouds and began turning her head to focus on the different images she saw coming out of them. Of late she had been doing what she liked to think of as cloud dreaming. It's something everyone has done in their lives: Just sitting back and forming all kinds of crazy pictures with the clouds. It was a great way to unwind and a start to noticing the simpler things in life that more often than not, passes one by. The smell of the grass around her made her feel a bit sleepy and light-headed.

Horatio opened his eyes after his nap, and felt the emptiness of her not being with him. He sat up and looked around, she was nowhere to be seen. He felt panic begin to grip him thinking of all the things that could have happened to her while he slept. He scrambled to his feet and was just about to shout her name when he noticed a figure in blue, at the periphery of his vision, lying on the slope of the other hillock. A wave of relief swept through him. He made his way to the second hillock and saw her staring up at the sky, a look of peacefulness on her face, she bit down on her lip, a half smile lingering on her lips, she then turned her head slowly in either direction her gaze never leaving the sky.

"Another penny for your thoughts?" he said startling her out of her reverie as he sat down beside her.

"Horatio." She sat up blushing, a bit embarrassed to have been caught in the middle of cloud dreaming.

"So how about that penny?" he asked reaching up to remove a blade of grass from her hair.

She shook her head, "Not worth your penny, I was just being silly,"

"Didn't look silly. You looked very peaceful, what were you doing?"

"Nothing. I was just being silly."

"Nothing huh? Well at least tell me how to look so darn peaceful thinking silly thoughts. " he raised his eyebrows, turning to look at her, compelling her to tell him with his eyes.

"I…I uh… I was…I was cloud dreaming."

"What's that?" he asked

"It's when you use your imagination to see the beauty in the clouds above." she said pointing her finger upwards. She shrugged trying to sound nonchalant, "It kind of brings me back to appreciating the simpler things in life."

"I see. Will you show me?" she looked at him surprised, "Will…will you show me how to cloud dream?" he asked in a small voice, "I've…I've never heard the term."

"Well cloud dreaming is just my word for it…Horatio, you must have done it when you were a child. Children do it a lot." Marisol replied watching him as he shut his eyes closed, unwilling for her to read the emotions he feared he would show.

"Perhaps, a long time ago." He answered in the small voice, "Please show me."

"Sure Horatio, it's really easy." She knelt in front of him and gently pushed his shoulders down so that he was lying down on the slope. She lay down beside him. "Ok, just follow my finger and tell me what you see that cloud making."

There was long silence which he broke by saying, " I can see the inside of a centrifuging machine."

She turned to him and smiled, "Ok, I see a flower."

"How do you see a flower?" he asked,

"That's the beauty we have in us all," she said, " We all see something different and we can try to explain how we see things but in the end people may not see it the same way, or they'll still be able to see both the things at different times. Ok enough of me…here are the petals and this is the centre," she traced out the fluffy ridges of the cloud, " and this is the stalk," she finished pointing to the faint wisp that projected from under the cloud.

"Do you see it now?"

"Yes I guess do."

"So how did you get a centrifuging thingy?" she asked.

"Well…uh a centrifuging machine basically has little holes that you can put small test tubes in and it then spins them around using gravity and circular motion to separate different layers. Um…so yeah, here are the holes you put the test tube in," he pointed up to the same fluffy ridges that Marisol had made the petals out of. "Here's the stand and the cover. It looks just like the one in DNA." He pointed to the sections above and below the fluffy region of the cloud.

"I get it, so I'm going to use my imagination to see what a centrifuging machine looks like based on the image you've shown me. I've never seen one before."

"Really?" Horatio asked surprised, before realising that they did come from different career worlds.

"Yes, really." She smiled at him.

He took her hand and kissed it gently, "Thank-you Marisol,"

"Don't thank me Horatio, thank the weather for putting them there." she replied laughing.

"Well thank-you for showing me then. I guess I've never really thought about it."

"You're welcome,"

Their hands remained entwined as they looked at some more clouds and did some more cloud dreaming, lying side by side.

The sun soon sank a little lower; starting to dip beneath the horizon as they stretched and sat up. Marisol picked up her camera which she had placed behind a rock nearby.

"Oh no Marisol I didn't know you were a camera person."

"Yeah, I thought I'd get a couple of shots of this perfect day and put them in my album."

"Well I hope you didn't snap any of me, I'm not at all photogenic."

"Well I beg to differ Lieutenant. You certainly looked gorgeous, against that tree, through my lens."

"Uhh…" Horatio just stuttered

Marisol looked at her watch. And reckoned that they should probably get going soon because it would be a long drive back and Horatio was probably going to work tomorrow. She suggested going back now and Horatio nodded his agreement. They made their way back to the first hillock and picked up their stuff. Marisol glanced back at the rocky outcrop.

"Penny for your thoughts,"

"Nope, otherwise between pennies for my thoughts and your florist, you're going to be broke."

"I was just hoping for some more insightfulness." He said in an amused tone, which was lost on her as she continued to stare at it. He noticed the goosebumps rising on her skin. He walked over to her, standing behind her gently rubbing his hands down her arms, "Seriously though,"

"Huh?"

"What's going on?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you but I had my first kiss under that outcrop."

"Is that so?"

"Yes it is. That's what I was thinking about," she admitted a bit guiltily.

"Well then for old times sake?" He asked turning her to face him

She nodded before reaching up to pull his head down to meet her lips. Horatio deepened their kiss and Marisol felt her knees go weak with passion. They broke apart breathing heavily. Marisol blushed thankful that it was getting dark, she was sure she was beet-red.

"So what was your first kiss like?" she asked him as he fumbled with picking up the cooler boxes.

"Well it wasn't in such a charming place." He replied.

Their conversation as they walked back to the car mainly focused on their respective first kisses. He found himself blushing more and more as he described it to her. She listened to him spellbound. Thoughts about first kisses hardly crossed his mind. By the time they reached the reception, dusk was setting in. They signed out and went to the bathroom before walking back to the car. The drive back was animated: with the music and the conversation about first romances, but what he didn't tell her however that his first-kiss had also gone on to be his wife, _ex_-wife his mind corrected.

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He killed the engine and walked up with her to her front door. She opened the door and switched on the hallway light, "God Horatio, I wish there was a way for me to make you feel the way you've made today feel for me. Thank-you."

"You already have in so many ways." He said abashedly, before taking her in his arms for one final kiss.

"Call me when you get home," she said as he turned to leave.

"Will do. Goodnight Marisol."

"Goodnight Horatio." Marisol had to physically force herself not to add an 'I love you' to her goodbye.

Horatio called her an hour later when he got home. She chided him into having an early night. He laughed, promising to go to bed soon after finishing up some paperwork. Marisol then spoke to Eric, giving vague details about her day because she could hear him smirking at the other end of the line.

Feeling tired and happy when she finally got into bed Marisol was just about to drift off to sleep when the answer hit her as she reviewed the day's events in her mind's eye. She couldn't believe that Horatio had forgotten how to carry out a child's activity. Cloud dreaming – She knew people didn't do it often in adult hood but it wasn't something one forgot. She finally knew what she could bring to this relationship. She could show him how to appreciate all that he had, she could only guess from what little he had said that he had had a difficult youth, that he perhaps had missed out on a lot of simple joys when he was younger. Missing out - She knew it was something people did a lot; she had done it herself before her diagnosis. But there was something really important and vital in life when one did take the time to appreciate the simpler things – it was to balm a battered soul that is hit and tortured everyday by the extremities that it witnesses in this life.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I'm sorry I've taken so long to put this up but infact I orginally meant this chapter and the next to be 1 chapter. However I got a bit carried away when writing and so it became a bit too long to post as 1 chapter. Like I said I got a bit carried away, it was fun to write but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have. If you could take a moment to review the chapter that would be awesome. Apologies to any readers if you find any mistakes, my brain tends to sometimes block out the green and red squiggles.

Disclaimer: the CSI:M characters you recognise here don't belong to me but Christian Henry, Isabella Sorenson and Pat the bartender as lousy as they may seem do belong to me. Il Covo is an actual night club just not in Miami I'll move it back to it's original location when I'm done with this story line.

Questions

Marisol was sitting at a desk at the _Il Covo _nightclub working through their invoices when her phone began to ring, glancing at the caller ID she accepted the call.

"Hey Bella,"

"Hi Marisol. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, fine. What's going on?"

"I was just wondering if you were still at Il Covo's? Because if you are, the boss is letting us out early today soooo I was thinking maybe you wanna go for coffee? and then I'll take you home if you like. You know less stress for Eric and stuff." Bella waited for an answer. After a few moments of silence she asked, "Marisol?"

"Um, yeah Bella?" Marisol asked.

"So how about coffee?"

"Umm…well actually Bella, I'm going to be here for a couple of more hours. I have quite a bit to get through." Marisol paused, "Then…then Horatio's going to pick me up when I'm done here. Uh…I…I think I'll have to take a rain check on that coffee."

"Oh…" there was a short silence at the other end before Bella continued, "Ok then… well then, rain check it is." She gave a small uncomfortable laugh. "I better get going then, time to lock up the vault. I'll speak to you later. Will you be home tonight or do you guys have plans?"

"Uh…no, no plans. Bella…" Marisol started hearing the trace of slight disappointment in Bella's voice.

"No its ok, really it's fine. I'll speak to you later...I uh…I have to go." Bella said quickly and before Marisol could say anything she added quickly, "Speak to you later then. Bye."

"Isabella…" Marisol started only to hear to hear a click at the other end as Isabella hung up. Marisol sighed, she knew her best friend had a good reason to be ticked off at her. Since their anniversary picnic she had only met Bella for lunch once these past 2 weeks and although Bella had called her several times she had always been working. She realised she was being selfish wanting to spend all her time with Horatio as she had been doing lately, she had spent almost every other evening in his company, and knowing that made her feel guilty that she hadn't seen Bella as much. She looked at the invoice she was on and made a note of it in the ledger open infront of her, writing the details in the relevant columns. She moved on to the next one and by the time she had gone halfway through the stack she still felt uneasy about Isabella. She glanced at her watch, trying to honestly justify to that little voice at the back of her mind that there was no way she could make coffee because she really had to get these done. The little voice argued back that Bella would have waited around for her till she finished if she'd asked. She soon finished the stack but it seems a guilty weight had settled on her conscience. It was a complicated guilt: partly because Bella had done so much for her over the past few years but the bulk of the guilt seemed to stem from the fact that she hadn't been there for Bella as best friends were meant to be. After promising to help plan a fabulous wedding, Marisol had just had a measly three conversations regarding the subject. She felt angry with herself but she knew it was no use because when she was with Horatio some of her resolves just strengthened while others just faded away to the back of her mind. She always managed to find an excuse to be with him. This only served the purpose of making her angrier. It wasn't that she was letting the simple things in life go past but she was letting parts of her life, that had brought her stability before she met him, go by. Her anger peaked and she let out a frustrated sigh, hurling her pen across the room.

"Woah! That was some throw! Everything all right Ms. Delektorsky?" asked Pat who had walked in at that moment and saw the pen flying to the other end of the room.

"Huh?" Marisol asked surprised, "Oh…Hi Pat, yeah everything's fine, just made a mistake." She said getting up to retrieve the pen. However Pat reached it first and picked it up before handing it to her.

"Thanks," she said taking the pen from him.

"No problem," he said, "Just to let you know that it's getting near six, so we'll be opening soon. Michael wanted to know if you would still be a while because we can close off one of the rooms in basement for you, if you like?"

"No, it's fine…I'm almost done. I'll be out before six."

"Ok then. I guess I'll see you around then Ms. Delektorsky." He finished turning around to leave.

"Thanks again Pat." She said as he waved his acknowledgement. She suddenly had an idea. Turning back to the desk, she dialled the familiar number and listened the ringing tone; she hoped Bella would pick up. She began sorting out the papers into different piles as her phone call went to voicemail. She hung up and tried again several times but had no luck. Sighing she cleared the rest of the things and carried the books and files up to the manager's office. Just as she was walking out her phone began ringing, it was Horatio.

"Hello?"

"Marisol, Horatio here…"

"Hi."

"Hey…um sorry but I may be a few minutes late picking you up. I've just left the lab."

"Sure, thanks for calling. I'll see you soon ok?"

"Mhmm ok, bye."

"Bye." Marisol hung up. Still feeling very frustrated she went back into the club and talked to the manager, Michael about a couple of things. By the time she finished with him Horatio still hadn't arrived. Taking out her phone she tried calling Bella again: this time she was lucky, Isabella picked up on the fifth ring.

"Hello?"

"Isabella, where have you been?"

"Sorry Mari, I just popped out for some ice cream…the usual you know, forgot my phone at home. I just got back." Bella said in a very neutral tone.

Just then Marisol spied Horatio coming in, she waved and gestured that she would be a couple of minutes. He waved back and turned around. "Isabella, about today..." She paused, watching Horatio's retreating back.

"Marisol it's fine. Don't worry."

"Would you just let me finish," Marisol said exasperatedly before continuing, "I take it you and Christian don't have plans for tonight. So how about we go for drinks?"

"Er…I don't know."

"C'mon Bella, I'm really sorry about today." Marisol pleaded.

"I…I'll have to check with Christian, he's working late today."

"Ok, so let me know. I was thinking Il Covo, say about 11.30?"

"Sounds good….umm….will Lieutenant Caine be there?" Bella asked cautiously.

"If I can convince him to come. It's about time you guys were introduced. Besides it feels like ages since we went to a club and had some girly fun. Anyway best-friend impressions are so important." Marisol said matter-of-factly.

"Oh Marisol you already know that I think he's great." Bella gave a laugh and Marisol felt relieved that Bella was letting her off so easily. "And yes, if I can't convince Christian then a total girly night out sounds like something I could definitely do with. Not to mention it would be good practice for a hen night right?"

"Good idea, any excuse to party." said Marisol smiling, "Good, so let me know ASAP Bella. Bye."

"Ciao Marisol." Replied Bella before hanging up.

Marisol shut the phone and placed it in her purse before walking towards the car. Horatio was sitting in the car, arm hanging out of the open window, the fading colors of the day dancing across his form. Marisol couldn't help but acknowledge what a welcoming sight he was. He reached over and opened the door for her as she approached.

"Hi." She said kissing him on the cheek before shutting the door and putting her seat belt on.

"Hey, sorry I was late." He said apologetically, revving the engine.

"It's fine. Everything ok?" she asked quizzically.

"Yeah, what can I say: paperwork. It's been piling up, mainly because you've been such a distraction." He said smilingly. "In…in a good way of course." He finished quickly. She couldn't help but smile back in response before giving him another kiss on his cheek.

"You are just too savvy sometimes Lieutenant." She said playfully.

"Why thank-you for that compliment ma'am," replied Horatio with mock solemnity.

It was true. Horatio hadn't taken any paperwork home for a week. He had looked at the growing pile everyday but had refused to address it. It wasn't in his nature to ignore things that needed his attention, but in the last couple of weeks, he just felt that paperwork didn't need his immediate attention – well that was until he saw his INBOX overflowing and had spent the afternoon addressing the situation. He was also sleeping better, granted he wasn't sleeping longer hours but he felt his quality of sleep had improved, the dreams that often plagued him were somehow kept at bay by Marisol calling him and wishing him sweet dreams each night. He realised that she had produced very subtle changes in his life; from what he wore to the smiles he smiled. He glanced at her through the corner of his eye; she was staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts. "How was your day?" he asked slowing down as they hit the rush-hour traffic.

"Let's just say I'm glad it's Friday. Are you working this weekend? She asked holding her breath slightly.

"Yes I am." He admitted. The weekend had never held the same comforts for him as it had for other people mainly because he worked. He didn't even take his scheduled days off, until his fatigued body demanded it, because of his commitment as an officer of the law. The overtime was just an added bonus. He felt her stiffen slightly with his words, he looked over and realised she looked slightly crestfallen, "Anything wrong?" he asked.

"No…uh, nothing's wrong. I…I was just wondering." She said a little too quickly and a little too brightly before lapsing into silence again. Her hands began to fiddle with her purse as she thought about how to ask him about going out tonight. Horatio kept an eye on her, noticing her fidgeting. Her phone beeped indicating a message had arrived. She opened her bag knowing it was probably Bella. She was right: Bella had sent a message to confirm that Christian and her would be at Il Covo for 11.30 that evening. Marisol really felt that sometimes Bella read her mind. She was glad Bella hadn't called because Horatio would have probably picked up on the subject of their conversation. She didn't put the phone away but continued to fiddle with it, occasionally sneaking glances Horatio's way. She didn't know why but she blushed when she noticed that he noticed her glances because she saw the pink tinge rising from his neck.

"Did I say something wrong Marisol?" he asked shifting slightly in his seat, becoming more aware of her covert stares.

She gave a little gulp, "N…N…No. Just thinking." She said, her hands fumbling with the phone more and more.

"Ok." He said, not wanting to push. They drove on in comparative silence, occasionally remarking about things that caught their eye. Marisol felt a bit conflicted: on the one hand she wanted Isabella and Horatio to meet and on the other Horatio had work tomorrow and he probably needed his rest. She didn't know why she was getting so worked up, it was simple – all she had to do was ask him. But either way she was determined to see Bella tonight. She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious over what they would make of each other when they met. Horatio was a good judge of character and Bella…well Bella hardly gave a damn about what anyone thought and could be quite blunt to the point of being rude occasionally. They were both headstrong in their own ways. The last thing Marisol wanted was a rift between her best friend and the man she was romantically involved with. However she knew that Isabella meeting Horatio would give Isabella a chance to see what she and Horatio had and convince Isabella that things were going well. When they arrived at her apartment complex, he walked her up to her door as usual.

"So how was the deep thinking?" he asked, stepping closer to her as she opened the door and turned back towards him. She focused her eyes on his shirt, unwilling to meet his eyes, seeing her biting down on her lip he knew she was on the brink of answering his question.

"When was the last time you went out clubbing?" she asked, directing her question more to his chest than to his face.

"It's been a while." He said, curious about where she was going with this.

She blinked a couple of times before saying, "I know you're working tomorrow, but I was really hoping to introduce you to Isabella tonight."

"Ok, what time were you thinking?" he asked immediately, tilting his head to one side to gauge her expression better.

"Horatio…Horatio, no pressure really. I wasn't sure if you'd be working when I spoke to Bella. I know you've had a long day so I understand. I…I feel a bit guilty that I haven't seen Bella in a while and I don't have chemo till mid-week, enough time to get any alcohol out of the system…uh, I'm babbling now. But yeah, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come out tonight…that is…only if you want to."

"I'd love to Marisol. So what time were you thinking?" he asked again.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank-you Horatio." She said shyly but wanting to kiss him there and then, she bit her lip to restrain herself. "Umm…I was thinking 11.30, Il Covo?"

"Sounds good. Do you want me to pick you up?" he asked as he took another step towards her, forcing her to take a step back so that they were practically in the apartment now.

"No…I'll come with Bella…Thank-you Horatio, it really means a lot. You're both really important people in my life and Bella's wanted to meet you for a while now. I guess I…I don't know why but this has me a bit stressed out."

"Mhmm, so it would seem." he said lowering his lips to hers and pulling her close. She held her breath waiting for him to kiss her but he didn't, instead he just traced the indent she had made on her lips in her nervousness. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. "Alrighty then, 11.30 it is." he said, before gently letting go of her.

"Well you don't have to be there exactly for 11.30 because…well Bella isn't as punctual as you. So I was thinking you should probably rest before coming."

"Why? Do I seem that old? Don't think I can hold my own at a club Marisol?" asked Horatio amused.

"Of course not Horatio! I just thought…thought you'd probably want to catch forty winks especially since…since you're working…" she stopped flustered, feeling like a complete fool.

"Sweetheart, I'm just kidding. Don't worry I know what you mean." Horatio said moving back to lean against the doorframe.

"Right…sure…sure." Muttered Marisol casting her eyes everywhere but at him.

"So about 11.30, Il Covo, I'll give you a ring before I leave: How does that sound?" he asked taking out his sunglasses and putting them on.

"Sounds great. See you then. Bye." Said Marisol moving to shut the door.

"Bye Marisol." Said Horatio before disappearing down the stairs to his car. On the drive to his place his thoughts for once were incoherent. They seemed to lack the logic that was the norm with him. Was he really going out to a club on a Friday night? He gave a wry chuckle imagining what Speed would say if he knew Horatio was going to a club for a purpose other than a case.

Marisol shut her door and leant against it, a smile on her face. She took out her phone and rang Bella.

"Bella?"

"Marisol."

"Good to know Christian's coming."

"I take it from the unsubtle glee in your voice that the good Lieutenant will be joining us?" Bella asked a drop of sarcasm in her voice that Marisol couldn't fail to notice.

"Yes, he is." Marisol sighed before continuing, "So 11.30 and Bella 11.30, I don't want to get there and hear one of your '5 minute' stories because you and I both know that it'll end up with you getting there an hour later."

Bella giggled at the other end, "Well I'll be there for 11.30 just to impress your Lieutenant! Hmph, who would've thought…I'm only punctual for Christian, well I guess I can make an exception for him."

"Well good to know that Christian won't be left at the altar for too long." Said Marisol rolling her eyes.

"Ok, Marisol, I'll be there for half eleven. Ciao."

"Bye." Said Marisol hanging up.

Horatio got home to see his answering machine blinking that he had message waiting for him. He hung up his jacket and placed his badge and crimelab ID in his office before checking the machine. There was a message from Ray calling to say hello and to check that Horatio was keeping well. Horatio put in the long-distance call and waited for someone to pick up.

"Caine here." Came Raymond's familiar voice.

"Ray."

"Hey! Big brother, how's it going? You get my message?" asked Raymond.

"Yes…Yes I did. Is everything all right with you guys?" asked Horatio quickly.

"Everything's fine Horatio. I was just wondering how things were going…you know from our last conversation?"

Horatio fell silent and squirmed slightly; he could tell Raymond was trying hard not to laugh at his big brother who was almost never speechless.

"Horatio?" Ray chuckled at the other end.

"Yeah…Yeah, they're going good. I guess you might not believe this but…but I'm going to a club tonight." Now it was Raymond's turn to be speechless. There were few secrets between the Caine brothers, after all at one point in their lives they had only had each other to rely on. Horatio had told Raymond about being romantically involved with Marisol. At first Raymond had been surprised and had disapproved but had reserved judgement knowing he should be the last one telling his big brother how to live his life after he had nearly messed up his own life. Raymond's opinion had changed after subsequent conversations with Horatio about the matter. He felt the changes in his big brother long before Horatio had noticed them himself and he was glad about it. He knew it couldn't be easy for Horatio having to still worry about them being in Brazil as well as the pressures of his job and if Marisol could make him forget about the weight on his shoulders, even for a little while, then their relationship was a good thing. But Horatio at a club – it was taking a lot imagination to see his uptight brother in a club.

"I see." Came Raymond's reply after a moment of silence, "You don't think you could take a picture of yourself in the club and then post it to us? You know just so we have evidence."

"Raymond." Horatio growled shaking his head in mock exasperation.

"Well then big brother, you have fun and maybe you could pass some tips on your new-found youth to your nephew. We've been trying to get him out of the house and get a social life but no luck so far. Don't know where he gets it from, certainly not from me or Yelina." Horatio clearly heard the amusement in his brother's voice.

"Well then if you insist I'll have a word with Ray Jr." said Horatio.

"Ok…" Raymond paused, he always found it hard to say good-bye to Horatio, "You take care Horatio… and have a good night out. Enjoy yourself big brother, let the hair down a bit." Raymond grinned, before handing the phone to his son.

"You too Ray…you too." Said Horatio who found it equally hard sometimes to say goodbye.

Horatio had bit of a long chat with Ray Jr. talking about school and other things. Horatio discovered that his nephew was actually interested in this girl at school and was thinking about asking her out but was very nervous about it. Horatio was a bit taken aback and started to believe Alexx's words that kids grew up too fast these days, after all when he was 14 he had never had girls on his mind. Horatio gave Ray Jr. what he considered to be the best 'uncley' advice he could give before disconnecting the call.

Horatio had a session with his punching bag in his basement to release all the pent-up frustrations that had accumulated in his muscles during the day. He then sat down to clean his personal firearm and then made an omelette for dinner. He switched on his television for a couple of minutes to watch the news before deciding to get ready for that evening.

After speaking to Bella, Marisol had a power nap. She overslept and rushed to make a sandwich wanting to have a long shower before getting ready and have enough time to pick an outfit. Marisol called a cab for 11 p.m. She had decided to take a cab to Il Covo rather than inconvenience the people she'd be meeting which is why she had misinformed Horatio about how she'd get there. As she got dressed, she began to feel excited. It had been such a long time she'd been out, and that made the preparations add to the anticipation of having a good night out. She spent a very long time deciding what to wear; mixing and matching all kinds of garments and before long a pile of discarded possibles lay on her bed. She finally decided on pair of dark jeans that showed off her long legs and, a slinky black top that hung comfortably off her slender frame. To finish the look off she selected a pair of high heels that she hoped would bring her to about Horatio's height.

Horatio in the meantime was having some issues with his own wardrobe. For a long time he stood with a towel wrapped around his waist looking at his neatly hung dress-shirts trying to decide on something that he'd be comfortable in but that would also make a good impression on Isabella. He finally settled on a black dress-shirt with faintly discernible orange and gold stripes that softened the red of his hair to a strawberry blond tinge. Horatio hoped it was enough to let him blend in. To his surprise he realised 40 minutes had elapsed since he had got out of the shower. He seriously considered using hair gel but decided against it. By the end of it all he felt nervous. He wondered if Isabella's fiancée would be there: he had once done this before when his ex-wife hadn't yet become his wife and they were still dating. They had gone on a triple date that had ended in a club with 10 of her girlfriends around them. It had been uncomfortable to say the least. But he had a feeling that tonight would be very different from his earlier experience. He called Marisol as promised before leaving and inquired if Agent Christian Henry would be there. To his relief she had answered yes.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has been reading. I'm interested in any suggestions, comments and criticism (constructive please) that you guys may have. This isn't the most imaginative chapter but I hope you guys like it. It maybe be a tad bit predictable but you guys can decide for yourself...read on then...

Disclaimer: Any CSI:M characters you recognise here obviously don't belong to me, Bella, Christian and the folks of Il Covo belong to my imagination. Il Covo will eventually be moved back to it's original location - the fantastic Eastern Coast of Africa by the end of this story line.

Oestrogen and Testosterone

Marisol was the first one to get to Il Covo. She went inside and greeted the staff that she recognised. Pat was one of the bartenders for the night. He saw her and waved to her. She made her way over to him.

"Good evening Ms.Delektorsky, you don't come here often?" he asked good-naturedly.

Marisol laughed, "No Pat, no indeed. It's been an awfully long time since I've been out."

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked polishing a glass.

"Uh…No thanks, I'm waiting for some friends to get here."

"Can I organise a table for you guys then? Or would you like a basement room?" he asked, anxious to be helpful because he had the tiniest of crushes on Marisol.

Marisol looked around; the bar was set slightly above the dance floor, with a lounging area flanking either side of the dance floor. "Well…I was wondering do you think we could sit around the bar? I was thinking over on this side." She pointed to the side of the bar and Pat nodded.

"Sure, I'll get some more stools out. How many are you?"

"Uh…we're four." Marisol looked around again and remarked, "It's quite full for this time isn't it?"

Pat had moved around the bar now and was arranging the stools he looked up and answered, "Yeah it is, but the basement is way more packed than this. The promos Aarons and Barnes put together are really bringing in a new crowd. Tonight, there are Russian cabaret dancers in the basement, if you're interested."

Marisol shook her head, "No, we'll be fine here. Thanks though. And yes the books reflect the ideas, hopefully you guys will be getting a bonus soon."

"Hopefully." Pat smiled as he dusted down the stools, "Oh and if you guys want personalised drinks, let me know and I'll hook you up with Sandro. He's been teaching me a couple of things."

"Sounds interesting. Thanks Pat." Marisol said as he finished.

"You're welcome." He said winking as he moved to go back behind the bar.

Marisol turned around and saw Bella and Christian come through the entrance. She managed to catch their attention through the pulsating techno music and strobe lighting. They made their way over to her. Marisol grabbed Bella and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Woah! What was that for?" asked Bella after Marisol let go of her.

"Just to let you know how amazing you are and how sorry I am for being an idiot these past few weeks." Replied Marisol.

Bella hugged her again, "You're forgiven." She broke away smiling. Marisol turned to wish Christian, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"How are you Mari?" he asked before adding, "You look lovely as usual."

"Thanks, I'm good, I'm good." Marisol replied.

"So where's lover boy?" Bella asked fluffing her hair out, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She was trying to hide the fact that she was nervous about meeting him even though she had met him before.

"Bella! Please!" Marisol sighed, punching her lightly.

Christian intervened on her side as he chided her, "Bella I wouldn't describe Lieutenant Caine in such crass terms, the man is truly amazing and sincere. Just wait till you get to know him." Isabella just rolled her eyes.

Marisol flashed him a smile, and mouthed a silent thank-you to which Christian just smiled saying, "You know how Bella worries about little things. The whole way here she couldn't stop asking about him." He lowered his voice to a whisper before continuing, "Between you and me I think she's hitting PMT because I saw 6 tubs of ice cream in her freezer."

"Hey! I heard that! I'm not hitting PMT and the ice cream was for just incase…uh just in case we had anymore unexpected visitors." She finished shooting Christian a stony glare.

"Your hormones speak for themselves Bella." Said Marisol rolling her eyes slightly.

"So where is the affable Lieutenant H? From what I remember he was always prompt." Asked Christian.

Marisol just shrugged and couldn't help but wonder he was and was just about to slip out her phone and call him when she discerned his red hair coming through the entrance. "There he is. I see him, Uh…you guys stay here and save our spot, I'll go get him."

Horatio moved through the growing crowd of bodies and tried to shake his arm from the grasp of a lady that had latched herself onto it. He didn't realise it was Marisol on his arm, guiding him rather expertly to the side so that they could go around rather than through the dance floor to get to the bar. She pulled him over to the lounge area.

"Hey, there you are. We were about to send a search party out for you." He remained silent, infact he looked a bit stunned. The truth was he couldn't believe it was Marisol infront of him; describing her as looking sexy tonight just didn't seem to do her enough justice. He swallowed hard, she spoke up trying to draw a smile from him, her eyes dancing, "You know… set up our own CSI investigation to look for Lieutenant Horatio Caine."

Her last sentence elicited a smile from him. "That…that will not be necessary…" He paused slightly trying to regain his composure, "I…I'm sorry I'm late. Didn't realise finding parking would be such a nightmare. I had to park down close to the beach and leg it here…Uh…what can I say…you just look WOW."

"Glad you like it." Was all she said and Horatio couldn't help but wonder if he had detected a hint of mischief in her voice, either that or he was dreaming. "C'mon they're waiting. I got us a good spot." She said yanking his hand with a lot more force than he expected, causing him to stumble slightly while following behind her. She seemed to weave her way quite easily through the throng of people and tables in the lounging area and Horatio found himself to be the centre of envious glances from various men in the vicinity as they eyed Marisol who seemed to be oblivious towards them.

Marisol drew Horatio up behind her as she approached their stools. Horatio took a couple of gulps of the air-conditioned air trying to calm his nerves down which seemed to be undergoing uncontrolled firing causing his hand to twitch slightly in Marisol's.

"Isabella…this is Horatio Caine. Horatio, Isabella Sorenson." Marisol stood between them, eyes radiating hope of them hitting it off.

"Ma'am, it's a pleasure to finally meet you again." Greeted Horatio in a cool, calm manner before adding, "I've heard all about your inquisitions." Giving a smile while shaking her hand.

"Touché Lieutenant, I can't help it: Marisol's like a sister to me. Anyway it's good to finally meet you, and it's Bella please. Ma'am makes me sound way too old." She said as she released his hand. Bella had a smile on her face but she didn't look totally convinced.

"Sorry, years of habit, might take a while to break." He finished before turning to Christian, "Agent Henry, good to see you again." He said as they firmly shook hands.

"Likewise Lieutenant, likewise." Said Christian warmly.

"Horatio, please. We're off duty right?"

"Indeed we are, Lieu…Horatio."

"Good. And Congratulations to you both on your engagement."

"Thank-you Horatio." Bella and Christian replied simultaneously before laughing.

"See they can already read each others minds, they're as good as married." Said Marisol who had been observing the whole exchange with mild paranoia watching for any signs of discomfort from anyone. They all seemed relaxed, even Bella.

"So it would seem." Horatio chuckled, "Well then, let me buy the happy couple a drink. What will you guys have?" Horatio asked raising his hand to catch the attention of the bartender.

"Bella, they do personalised drinks here, do you want try one?" asked Marisol discreetly perching herself on the stool closest to where Horatio stood.

"Tempting but I'll have my usual, a martini please Horatio." Replied Bella as she sat on the stool on the other side of Marisol.

"Christian, Marisol?" Horatio asked.

"Vodka cranberry for me please Horatio." Said Marisol

"I'll just have a Budweiser please. It's been a long day. Thanks Horatio."

"No worries." Responded Horatio turning back to the bartender and giving their order, "So that's one vodka cranberry, a martini, a Budweiser and a club soda please."

"Sure coming right up," said Pat who had decided to make himself their bartender for the night.

Isabella poked Marisol in the ribs, "I see the perfect gentleman image continues." She said in a sotte voce.

"It's not an image Bella," Marisol whispered back furiously, "It's totally genuine, would you give the guy a break. You are so PMT right now."

"Aargh! Marisol." Said Bella loudly, the two men who were still standing turned towards them.

Christian quickly guessing what Bella's exclamation about said smoothly, "Horatio, you'll have to forgive Bella today she has slight hormonal difficulties caused by the crazy hours she's been working."

"Sorry Horatio. I'm a bit revved up tonight, it's been a while since Marisol and I have been out together." piped Isabella who clearly didn't sound very sorry.

"No need to apologise. Are you still at the same bank that the tidal wave hit, where the case came up?" asked Horatio trying to gauge her out.

"Indeed I am, infact we're conducting a merger with Barclays at the moment so there's a lot of reorganising being done." Replied Bella lapsing into a more serious tone as she proceeded to explain some of the details of the merger. Their drinks soon arrived. Pat informed Horatio that the manager had put their first 2 rounds of drinks on the house.

"Marisol who's the manager here?" asked Horatio.

"Uh…that would be Michael, over there at the other end of the bar, the guy in the green shirt." Marisol said pointing him out.

Horatio raised his glass to the man in acknowledgement. Michael smiled and nodded in reply before making his way over to their group.

"Marisol a pleasure to see you in here socially." Said Michael with a slight accent, kissing her on both cheeks before turning to greet the others.

"Thanks for the drinks Mike." Said Marisol cheerfully.

"It's a pleasure." He said. He made some more small talk with the little group before excusing himself on the basis of needing to attend to his managerial duties, but promised to look in on them later to make sure everything was all right. They thanked him again before he left. Just then a song blared out through the speakers, the two ladies looked at each other in excitement, and hopped of their stools.

"You fellas coming to dance?" asked Isabella coyly.

"Count me out Bella, I don't think my feet can move to this." Said Christian. Isabella turned to Horatio.

"I think I'll keep Christian company and sit this one out if you ladies don't mind." Said Horatio.

Marisol and Isabella both shrugged their shoulders with a look of 'that's your loss.' before moving to push their way into the middle of the dance floor and moving along with the beat of the music along with the other multitude of bodies on the floor.

"Girls…go crazy when they're in a group. Never changes." muttered Christian, taking a swig from his glass before loosening his tie slightly.

Horatio just nodded before taking a sip from his glass. He watched Marisol for a while. She looked just as young as any other person dancing on that floor. Horatio felt a twinge of sadness at Christian's words: how many cases had he worked when a girl fell victim in a place like this after they went wild. Horatio shook his head clearing his thoughts, not wanting to act so jaded. He turned his concentration back to Christian.

"Long day?" Horatio asked.

"Yes infact. I came here straight from work. Rumour has it that we'll be facing a review soon."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around at the moment." Said Horatio. Both men soon became immersed in the conversation about the upcoming reviews and the role of IAB. Horatio and Christian both kept checking up on the girls and saw them dancing in a group. They couldn't help it. After so many years on the job, it was hard to draw a line between being concerned and being overprotective. Horatio was just about to ask Christian about how the wedding plans were going when he heard a familiar voice behind him order a bottle of Sambuca and some shooters. He turned around to find himself staring at Ryan Wolfe.

"H.!" came Ryan's surprised acknowledgement, "Didn't know you came here?" Ryan gulped, trying to sound casual under his superior's gaze.

"Good evening Mr. Wolfe. You remember Agent Henry? He works with Peter Elliot and helped us out on the case with the bank the tsunami hit."

"Sure. Good to see you again Agent Henry." Said Ryan shaking the older man's hand.

"Nice to see you too Mr. Wolfe." Said Christian following Horatio's example, "You here with friends?"

Horatio noticed his CSI redden slightly at the question and smiled. He then heard another familiar voice behind Ryan, "Hey Ryan where's the Sambuca?" came the voice of Maxine Valera as she stepped up behind Ryan running her hand along his arm. Her hand followed by her mouth dropped down slightly when she realised who Ryan had been talking too. "Lieu…Lieu..." she gulped slightly, "Lieutenant Caine, what a surprise!" she finished bravely.

"Good evening Valera. Having a good time?" asked Horatio smiling. Valera just continued to stare unable to process her stern boss looking so relaxed at a club. Ryan nudged her slightly causing her to reply, "Swell time Lieutenant."

"Valera, this is Christian Henry he works with Agent Elliot. Christian, Maxine Valera our DNA expert." Said Horatio introducing his companion to Valera. Horatio heard them exchange greetings but his eyes wandered to the dance floor in an attempt to seek out Marisol and Isabella. He picked them out quickly and knowing they were ok turned his attention back to the little group gathered around him. Isabella grabbed Marisol, directing her attention to the little gathering around their area at the bar.

Just as Ryan and Valera were about to excuse themselves a bouncy blonde approached the group, her mouth trying to form a sensual pout. She patted Valera's arm saying in a pretentiously sweet voice, "Aw. What's taking you guys so long? Everyone's waiting to start….ooh who's this?" her voice turning coy as her eyes picked out Horatio.

Ryan sighed, "H. this is Barbara Fleet. Barbara our boss Horatio Caine and his colleague Christian Henry."

"Well how d'ya do?" she said batting her lashes at Horatio but not paying much attention to Christian. Valera rolled her eyes at this very unsubtle attempt to attract Horatio's attention.

"Nice to meet you ma'am," said Horatio in a neutral tone. Christian merely nodded his acknowledgment.

"Well Mr. Caine perhaps you'd care to join us in our game?" she asked settling her hand on his arm. Ryan and Valera clearly looked uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed.

"Well…Thanks but we'd rather not. I don't think my colleagues need me hanging around them whilst their off-duty. Besides we're here with company. So you'll have to excuse us… Mr. Wolfe, Valera have a nice evening." Finished Horatio indicating this exchange was clearly over. Barbara pouted while Ryan and Valera threw apologetic glances at Horatio.

"You too Lieutenant. It's nice to see you out." Said Valera warmly before leading Barbara away.

"Thanks H. Erm…sorry about that, she's a friend's friend. Erm…well then have a nice evening. You too Agent Henry." said Ryan before picking up his order and moving back to the lounge area.

Both men laughed as the CSI disappeared. It was an easy, amicable laugh. Christian took a sip of his drink.

"Very well handled Horatio if I may so."

"Why thank you." chuckled Horatio who had had his fair share of women throwing themselves at him.

Christian lowered his voice conspiratorially, "You're very lucky, if it was Bella she'd have kicked my ass by now for even saying a word. Marisol on the other hand is very calm."

"Well Christian if you don't mind me saying, Bella is very protective." Said Horatio quietly not wanting to cause offence.

Christian shrugged his shoulders, "She can't help it, she's a solid person when it comes to her job but that can't be said for the rest of her life where she does things in extremes, she's incredibly impulsive and passionate and once you've won her love, then respect and admiration come naturally after that. Marisol's cancer hit her very hard indeed and she's grown very fiery over Marisol. Honestly, I'd hate to cross Bella when it comes to Marisol." Christian straightened up as he noticed Marisol approaching, Horatio followed suit.

"Hey guys." Said Marisol fanning her face with her hands as she lowered herself onto a stool. Horatio passed her drink to her. "Thanks. Aren't you hot Horatio?" She asked tugging at his coat before taking a big sip. He shook his head. She set her glass down.

"Where did Bella go?" asked Christian.

"The mothership." Marisol replied smiling. Horatio raised his eyebrows in a questioning look. "That's Christian's special word for the rest room based on his past experience." Responded Marisol.

"Well that's a very apt description." chuckled Horatio. Christian scanned the crowd for Isabella. Marisol leant gently back against Horatio's arm which had been resting on the bar. Horatio lowered his arm discreetly allowing it to rest on the stool as the curve of her body fitted into the curve of his arm. Marisol wasn't sure how he'd react to displaying their relationship in public and she hesitated a moment before reaching behind her and linking her fingers with his. He gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze, she smiled at him. Horatio smiled back unable to tear his gaze away from her.

Marisol leaned back further to whisper in his ear, "Lot's of pretty girls around Lieutenant." she said her gaze moving to the blonde that had been part of Ryan's group of friends.

"So it would seem ma'am. Shame that only one of them catches my eye and commands my attention." He replied half-seriously, half-flirtatiously.

"Good answer Lieutenant." Said Marisol before leaving a lingering kiss on his cheek. Horatio dropped his gaze thankful for the dim lighting as he felt the blood rush to his face.

"Ok you two break it up. Here comes Isabella." Said Christian who had noticed their actions through the corner of his eye. Marisol blushed, letting go of his hand; Horatio let his arm remain there curious to discern Isabella's reaction.

Isabella marched up to their spot, "So who was the blonde?" she asked standing near Christian. She spied Horatio's arm around Marisol's waist but refrained from saying anything yet, her mind yelling at her not to act like a child.

"Darling please! Can we order something to eat? I'm starving. Marisol what would you recommend?" Christian asked.

Marisol and Christian discussed the menu leaving Horatio to answer Isabella's question that they had no idea who she was but was out with one of his CSI's. Marisol heard them mention Ryan.

"Ryan's here Horatio?" asked Marisol.

"Yeah with some friends. Over…over there." Said Horatio pointing to one of the lounge areas.

"I'll just go over and say hi." Said Marisol getting off her stool and taking her glass with her. She shot Bella a glance that could only be interpreted as a 'be good look,' Bella winked back.

Marisol made some recommendations over what to order as starters before making her way over to Ryan Wolfe's table. Horatio, Isabella and Christian began to talk about the wedding and as they launched into the different details he saw how in love they were. He hoped disillusionment wouldn't come their way. After a couple of moments Horatio couldn't help but keep glancing Marisol's way. She had her back to him and was engaged in an animated conversation with his CSI. Horatio couldn't help but smile at the fact that Barbara seemed to be shooting Marisol evil looks through lowered lids. Isabella noticed Horatio's occasional glances and understood what Marisol had been trying to tell her all this time about them, her heart softened towards him as she slowly relinquished the jealousy she had felt for Horatio for sharing a special place with her in Marisol's heart. She patted him on his hand, Horatio looked at her in confusion before looking at Christian who just gave him a conspiratorial wink. Bella was luckily saved from giving an explanation as their starters arrived.

Marisol had just finished having a conversation with Ryan and was about to go back when she heard someone shout, "Hey Stringbean! Is that you?" Marisol turned to the voice and raised her hand to her mouth as she saw the familiar face lounging at a table in a corner.

"Eduardo? Is that you?" Marisol asked, mouth slightly agape.

"So it is you stringbean! I saw you getting it on, on the dancefloor and thought it must be you." Said the owner of the voice as he got up and walked towards her. He reached out to hug her and Marisol smelt the smoke and alcohol on him and choked back a small cough.

"It's nice to see you Eduardo. How you doing?" asked Marisol disentangling herself from him after he held her tightly in the embrace for a bit too long.

"I'm fine." He said lighting up a cigarette, "I'm in between Miami and Tallahassee at the moment. Say is that Isabella Sorenson I saw with you? You guys still tight? She's looking pretty hot, but not as hot as you Marisol." he said blowing some smoke out.

"Yes we're still tight." Marisol hesitated before offering to take him to say hi to Bella knowing full well that Bella would not be pleased. He gladly accepted Marisol's offer.

Isabella choked on a piece of shrimp as she noticed Marisol making her way back to them, "What the hell!" Horatio and Christian both followed Isabella's eye line to see what had happened but before either of them could ask Marisol had reached them with Eduardo in tow.

A quick glance passed between the two women that Horatio was able to notice but not able to interpret because it happened so quickly, he just saw Isabella's eyes flash momentarily.

"Isabella you remember Eduardo?"

"Isabella, a pleasure as always." Eduardo smirked kissing her on both cheeks.

Marisol turned to Horatio and Christian, "Eduardo this is Christian Henry and this is Horatio Caine. Guys this is Eduardo Viegas, he used to go to school with us." Both men straightened up and shook the other man's hand. Horatio's back stiffened involuntarily. He didn't like the attitude that Viegas had about him.

"Nice to meet you guys." Said Viegas taking another puff on his cigarette, "Stringbean here, I mean Marisol and I had a thing for each other back in high school." He rubbed his fingers lightly against her arm before curling his arm around his waist. Horatio couldn't help but stiffen even more at this action as he felt a stab of what he thought must be jealousy hit him somewhere in his chest.

"Eduardo that was a long time ago." Said Marisol gently as she pushed him away from her.

He simply grinned at her before continuing, "Isabella and I…well we had our differences, didn't we Isabella?"

"I guess you could call them differences," Isabella replied coolly.

They made small talk for a few more moments before Eduardo turned to Marisol and said, "Hey Stringbean, how about a dance later for old time's sake? I'm sure Christian here won't mind one dance? So how about it?" Christian remained silent knowing it wasn't his call. Horatio didn't want to seem too overprotective and restrained himself from saying no, telling himself they were just old school friends – Nothing else.

Marisol handled it well and gave a vague nod before waving him off. She turned back to them, "Sorry about that, but he asked about you Bella. I couldn't say no."

Bella's upper lip curled up into a sneer, "He's still an ass-hole Marisol."

"Bella we're not having this again, not here and not now." Said Marisol.

Horatio felt another twinge of jealousy upon hearing her words, but remained silent. Horatio gave himself a mental shake chiding himself for acting like a teenager rather than an adult.

Christian couldn't help but ask, "Marisol – how did you get Stringbean?"

At this even Bella laughed and the tension in the atmosphere eased slightly.

"Well..."started Marisol, "It happened in third grade when we had one of those veggie demonstrations, and then the name just seemed to have stuck all through school."

The conversation then flowed onto nicknames: Christian was called Holy virgin amongst various others while Horatio had more often than not been referred to as carrot-top when he was younger. It was the first time Horatio had divulged much about his childhood and Marisol hung onto his every word and stored it in her mind to think about later. Three vodka cranberries later Marisol and Bella decided to pay a visit to the mother ship. However Bella came back by herself a look of disgust on her face. Horatio was immediately concerned, "Where's Marisol?" he asked quickly.

"Relax Horatio." She said a bit wearily, "Viegas managed to pull her onto the dance floor on the way back. She was too polite to say no." finished Bella shaking her head.

Horatio's eyes rapidly scanned the crowd looking for Marisol, he began to panic as his eyes failed to pick out her familiar figure. He looked over at Christian and Bella who were doing the same. He finally spotted her towards the back of the floor, he sighed and was about to make a move towards her when Bella placed a restraining arm on his hand.

"Horatio." She said seriously, "Take it from me, Marisol can handle this…Erm…just let it go. She can handle this. Your actions may just have the opposite effect." She cautioned.

Horatio was about to protest but decided to rely on Bella's judgment rather than his gut instinct. In truth his apparent gestures showed Isabella how much he cared for Marisol and Isabella knew that although Marisol was good-natured there were times when her independent woman streak overshadowed her actions. "So much for one dance…" Horatio muttered under his breath as he watched them dance, both he and Isabella shared a friendly smile over his comment. She turned to Christian and rubbed his arm as he tried to crack a joke to ease the tension, Horatio gave a weak smile. He turned his eyes away from the mass of bodies for a second, only to find that he had lost her again in the crowd.

"Eduardo. I think I need a rest now." Said Marisol walking off the dance floor. He followed close behind her as she walked through the lounge area back towards the bar. She smiled at Ryan again as she moved past his table. Just before getting back to the bar, she felt Eduardo push her against the wall and trap her there with his body.

"Oh Marisol. You don't know how much I regret us breaking up. C'mon let's go back." He said in a smooth voice, pushing back her hair from her face, leaning closer towards her, his hand snaking up her leg.

Marisol's heart started hammering as she tried to remain in control of the situation, "Eduardo that was long time ago. Things have changed, I've changed but it seems you haven't. You still want what you can't get." He still didn't let go of her, "Viegas get off me, you're drunk and you don't know what you're doing." Marisol said firmly.

She shoved him off but he lunged for her again trapping her hands in a vice-like grip, she winced slightly as he rubbed his groin against her, a leer on his face. "C'mon babe, you know you want to." Marisol without hesitation lifted her knee up and rammed it into his solar plexus he gasped as he doubled over and Marisol simply walked away. Viegas recovered and rushed behind her to grab her again, only this time Horatio suddenly appeared between him and Marisol, with Christian following close behind, "Outta my way Dude." spat Viegas throwing a punch that Horatio was prepared for and side-stepped out of.

"Hey sir, you heard the lady. Just back away and leave it be." Said Horatio, in an attempt to defuse the situation although he felt nothing but pure, white rage for this man

Viegas suddenly straightened, a cold gleam coming into his eyes. He stared Horatio in the eye, "This isn't over Red. You have no idea what's she's like." He said before stalking off. Horatio took a step forward before his mind brought his body under control and stopped him from doing anything foolish. He turned to Christian who had also caught the man's words.

Ryan came hurrying over, "Everything ok H.?" he asked.

"Yes thank-you Mr. Wolfe." Said Horatio, "Mr. Wolfe I need a favour please?" Horatio had a couple of words with his CSI before Ryan Wolfe walked away.

Horatio drew himself up to his full height, his body posture exuding the authority it normally commanded when he was on a case. He moved up to Christian, "Hey Christian I have a feeling our friend Mr. Viegas may be hanging around outside. Could I ask you take Marisol home? I know you've had a long day but this guy really has it coming. I just want her safe."

Christian raised his hands, "Not a problem Horatio." The two men walked back over to the bar.

"Are you ok Marisol?" they both asked.

"I'm fine, the guy was just drunk." She shrugged before adding, "But Bella's right the guy is still a bit of an ass." Horatio lowered his glance trying to catch her eye, "Horatio, really I'm fine." She said her expression unreadable as she gently rubbed her wrists and moving closer to Bella who just remained silent. Isabella was seething, that bastard Viegas! He deserved torture at her hands, how dare he touch Marisol after all these years. Bastard pig! Her mind screamed again. Her rationale soon came back and battled for control against her impulses and eventually won knowing she did not want to sour the so-far pleasant evening further..

"Ok you're the boss."he said softly glancing at Bella who just shrugged her shoulders before pulling Marisol off the stool and back onto the dancefloor.

"The guy was just creepy Horatio." Remarked Christian.

"Yes…Yes he was. So here's the plan if my hunch is right, I think it's a matter of a busted male pride and a little too much alcohol perhaps, Viegas will be outside and I'll draw him towards the beach-front and have a couple of words with him. And that will give you guys the opportunity to leave."

"Sure you don't need back-up?" Christian asked.

Horatio felt his blood boil and the adrenaline rush, "Yes, I'm sure."

Horatio spotted Marisol and Isabella making their way back to the bar. He looked over at Ryan and gave a barely discernible nod that was the signal to the CSI. The incident seemed forgotten in Marisol's mind as both were in the middle of an animated discussion. Marisol stood near Horatio and felt his jacket vibrate near her fingers. She pulled his sleeve to get his attention surprised he hadn't felt it before her.

"Yes Marisol." Asked Horatio who had been making small talk with Christian.

"Your phone." She said.

Horatio frowned as he took it out and answered it. He moved away further into the corner in an attempt to block out the noise from the music and conversation around him. He thanked Ryan who set up the decoy phone call to make it seem like dispatch had called him before hanging up and making his way back to Marisol, Bella and Christian a sad frown on his face.

"What's going?" asked Marisol taking his hand.

"I uh…I uh… have to get to the lab. Tonight was my turn to be on call if anything came up that the lab couldn't handle uh I'm…I'm sorry."

Marisol's face fell as she heard him. Horatio thought she seemed ok just disappointed and not too shaken up, he hoped he was right. He placed a kiss on her cheek, whispering in her ear, "Goodnight. I promise to make this up to you ok? Call me when you get home ok?"

"Horatio!" she exclaimed patting him gently on his chest thankful that he wasn't able to see the imagery going through her mind as his words echoed in her ears.

"Isabella, Christian it was a pleasure. We should do this again sometime, maybe do dinner first?"

"Lieutenant Caine, I mean Horatio, the pleasure was all ours." Said Bella kissing him on both cheeks. Horatio shook Christian's hand before leaving.

Horatio walked out of Il Covo, he didn't feel good about setting up this whole pretence but it made him relise how Bella had grown to be so protective over Marisol. He heard footsteps echoing behind him as he continued to make his way down towards the beach. He smiled in the dark. He got to his car and beeped the alarm to see where exactly it was when he felt a hand grab his collar and a voice threaten, "Told you this wasn't over Red."

"So it would seem… so it would seem." Said Horatio as he braced himself for the punch he felt coming through the shift in the air around him. It landed on his left side causing a pain to flare up. Horatio took a deep breath as he felt himself being hurled around to face his attacker. To his surprise he saw that Viegas had brought a friend with him. The adrenaline surged through him again as his anger took over, calculating every punch he threw. He managed to hold his own against his two antagonists for a while. He soon tasted the metallic tang of the blood in his mouth and knew he had a split lip while the pain on his side had increased as the man he identified as Viegas continued to pummel him there every chance he got. Horatio got knocked down a couple of times and each time he rose he seemed to infuriate the men even more. Approaching headlights gave Horatio the opportunity to launch his own counter-attack, taking the men by surprise. However the headlights belonged to a get-away car for the two men. The blinding headlights soon faded and he found himself alone - Horatio heard only his own ragged breathing and silence.

Horatio stood for a moment to catch his breath and an ocean breeze swept through the palm trees lining the parking lot. He wiped his sweaty brow and threw his soiled jacket into the back of his car. The adrenaline drained away leaving him with the pleasure of having come out on top in a fight to honor the woman he now cared so much about. He realised he had done a foolish thing tonight and had risked his life and career to a certain degree but his heart felt it was worth it. Nothing would hurt Marisol he vowed silently as he drove home, certainly not while he was still around.

Horatio got home and had a shower first before sitting down to add some salve to his wounds. She called him while he was in the middle of this.

"Hi. It's me." Came her cheerful voice at the other end, she sounded slightly intoxicated but Horatio couldn't be sure given the night's events.

"Hi." He said settling into the couch.

"It sounds awfully quiet in the lab." Said Marisol. Perhaps she wasn't even _slightly_ intoxicated after all, thought Horatio wryly.

"Um…yeah…that's because I'm…I'm in my office. Did you get home all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" she asked casually.

"No reason." He replied carefully. "Well then, I'll give you a call later on. I uh…uh I have to get some things done."

"Ok then…I'll…I'll speak to you later Horatio. Thanks for coming out tonight."

"It was a pleasure, and I was serious about us doing it again. I had a really good time. Isabella and Christian are wonderful." He said.

"That's funny, they said the same thing about you in the car." Marisol giggled and Horatio couldn't help but get the feeling that she knew or at least had some inclination that he was not at the lab at that precise moment.

"Well then Marisol. Goodnight and sweet dreams." He said softly, closing his eyes as thoughts of her ran through his mind's eye.

"Goodnight Horatio. Bye." She said softly too before hanging up.

Horatio finished treating his wounds and made an early breakfast before heading out to the lab. He walked into reception where the night-shift officer gave him his messages. He glanced through them when one of them caught his eye. He gave it back to the officer, "Are you sure you got this down right?" he asked.

"Yes Sir. I couldn't believe it myself, but they insisted I write it down, I wasn't sure if it was a prank or not but thought I'd just note it down anyway." Replied the night-shift officer.

"Well thank you then." Said Horatio turning away and walking to his office.

He sank into his swivel chair and groaned slightly as he read the message again:

Message for: Horatio Caine

From: Marisol Delektorsky

Time: 4.38 a.m

Comments: Terrible liar

That would explain their conversation he thought as he cast his mind back pretty sure he had spoken to her before 4.30. He couldn't help but wonder what would come next, after all his split lip wasn't hard to miss. He remembered the fiasco he had had with Yelina over hiding the truth about Madison and had learnt his lesson. He knew telling her was only a matter of time, he just hoped the pangs of jealousy would have lessened by then. Horatio Caine jealous? Well, he surmised, he was only human after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Cor! it's been a while, I really should have gotten this chapter up sooner. Firstly I made up the RDX and TNT thing, I don't think it exists and secondly I don't think the plot line for this chapter is as solid as some of the previous chapters hence the title _'blowing things out of proportion.'_ I'd like to know what you guys think of the explanation for the whole nightclub arc (in 6), because I feel that's the weakest point and maybe I have blown things out of proportion, I hope you guys can follow the explanations and logic jumps. Oh and Marisol's secret will be revealed in a later chapter, as I'm still developing the idea. By the time I started writing this chapter, my plot ideas had disappeared, so bear with me. Also I hope you feel the chapter content stays within the 'T' rating. Apologies in advance for any grammatic errors e.t.c you may find. Reviews are very welcome. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I'm still hoping as hard as hell that one day the CSI:M characters may belong to me, but presently they are way off from being mine!

Blowing things out of proportion?

Horatio was still sitting with his paperwork when he heard a knock on his door,

"Come in." he called out.

Eric opened the door and stepped into Horatio's office, "Morning H. I'd just like to confirm something about the mass spec results I got from the Parker case." asked Eric looking down at the file, before looking up at Horatio, his eyes widened, "H! Are you ok man? What happened to your lip?" asked Eric handing over the file to Horatio's waiting hand.

"Just a little accident. No harm done." replied Horatio smoothly, gesturing for Eric to sit down. He turned his attention immediately to the spec results knowing it would deflect his CSI's questions.

"Well…" said Horatio after a few minutes, "This is interesting, it would seem we have traces of RDX and trinitrate, only this is glyceryl trinitrate; a drug they use for cardiovascular patients. Well either our suspect has CV problems or he's using these pills to manufacture explosive TNT to add to the RDX. What are the results from swabs we took of the saliva at the scene? Check anyone involved in the case for cardio-vascular disease and bring them in for in questioning."

"Ok meds and explosives, sounds like a real nut-job." remarked Eric, as he took the file back from Horatio and stood up to leave. He paused when he got to the door.

"Let me know how the case goes." said Horatio watching the younger man get up to leave.

"Sure thing H." replied Eric

Anything else Eric?" asked Horatio who was already seated and shuffling through some papers, he looked up at the younger man.

Eric hesitated for a moment, before walking back to Horatio. He didn't know why he was lowering his voice to a whisper and he felt slightly stupid for doing so, "Umm…H. you haven't been out of here to get a coffee or anything yet since the day shift clocked in?"

"No. I haven't. Is something wrong?" asked Horatio, a note of concern entering his voice.

"Well…no, lets just say that the whole lab is…is in disbelief about you um, about last night. Just thought I'd give you a heads-up." finished Eric quickly. When Cricks had mentioned to Eric that Lt. Caine had been at Il Covo last night Eric was so surprised that he dropped the results Cricks had handed him moments earlier. Horatio Caine at a club?

"Last night?" asked Horatio carefully, wondering how on earth anyone could have seen his little bust-up with Viegas.

"Well Wolfe was in a pretty big group. Half the lab was there."

"Really?" asked Horatio finally understanding what Eric meant. "Thanks Eric. Let me know how the case goes."

"Sure H. and LT you may want to get that lip checked out." replied Eric, smiling as he heard Horatio mumble that he was fine. He walked back down to the labs choking down a laugh as it occurred to him that perhaps Marisol had caused it. The thought of his sister and boss being so intimate made him want to laugh out loud. He hurried down the steps back to Trace, a grin on his face.

Horatio felt his eyes straining to remain open. His mind remained focused but it seemed unable to control his fatigued muscles: from his hands to his eyelids. He conceded to the fact that he needed a break (but not a decent 8 hours sleep). He stretched his legs and felt the knots in his back tauten further as he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. The pain in his side had dimmed to a dull ache but flared up again as he pressed his hand to his side to test it, he doubled over slightly letting out a short gasp. He got up, deciding that coffee sounded like a good idea.

As he made his way to the break room with his mug he felt the stares, the secret smiles and nods that were passed his way, shared between all those around him. Yes, contrary to what you all think the dull Lieutenant Horatio Caine does have a social life! his mind felt like calling irritably to those around him. He sighed and tried his best to ignore it knowing that in a few moments the caffeine would ease his irritation.

He opened the door to the break room, glad to find it empty. He put on the electric kettle and then spooned some instant coffee into his mug. Hearing the kettle lever give a slight pop, he added the boiling water to the granules at the bottom of his mug and closed his eyes as the aroma wafted up to him. He then refilled the kettle with water from the sink and sat down at the table at the far side of the room. He flicked through the newspaper left on the table, sipping his steaming coffee, enjoying the bitterness at the back of his mouth. He was finished with the newspaper in 10 minutes. There had been no interesting articles, all that seemed to be in the news these days was the war and how everything seemed to be bad for ones' health. The sports section had caught his attention with a small piece written on his favourite football team, the Arsenal Gunners, but that was about it. He glanced at the clock and decided to check on the results he had asked for processing for one of the cases he was working on. He gulped down the rest of his hot coffee, burning his mouth slightly in the process. He ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth and felt the soft flesh peeling off slightly. He sighed and thought that with regard to his mouth - today was really not his day!

As he stood over the sink washing his mug his mind drifted back to the lab's reactions about last night. It wasn't like he never went out, of course he did. On a superficial level Horatio blamed his job for not allowing him the leisure time that others had but deep down he knew that it was because he preferred not to. He loved staying in his home and yes perhaps he had grown used to the lonely shell that had encased him over the years. And when the sadness and pain that had built up onto his shoulders over the years threatened to break his spirit he wandered around Miami on foot for hours till he couldn't walk anymore, taking in everything, seeing the good and the bad and finding the strength he needed in the actions of the people around him that he saw and had a duty to protect. His _duty_ – it was both his saviour and his damnation in finding the happiness that all mortals (good and bad) in this suffering world are allowed to taste. Horatio could only think that in some way there must be some happiness in everything, even in suffering, bitter-sweet though it may be. Isn't that what he'd found in and with Marisol? MADISON! His mind suddenly roared up with the fact that it was her birthday soon. He hadn't spoken to Madison and Susie for a while...

It was just then that Valera walked in, coffee mug in hand, and interrupted his train of thought. "Morning Lieutenant Caine." She said making an effort to sound peppy. She had a hangover and she was craving coffee.

"Morning Valera, not sure if it's a 'good' morning though." replied Horatio, a small smile on his lips as he took in the appearance of his DNA analyst.

Valera blushed slightly and stammered that it was a good morning, surprised that her boss was in such a good mood that he even had a smile on.

"Well then enjoy your coffee Valera. I'll pick up my results later." said Horatio, exiting from the break room.

"Yes Sir." said Valera, her tone immediately switching back to professional.

Horatio walked to Trace but changed his course and headed back to his office and then back to the break room.

Valera was sitting down, her eyes were staring at the newspaper that Horatio had been reading earlier but her gaze was unfocused.

"Valera." said Horatio, tapping her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention.

She straightened quickly, accidentally elbowing Horatio's injured side. He gritted his teeth as the pain flared up. Valera stared at him blankly not noticing his grimace, "Yes Lieutenant?"

"Thought you may like to take one of these," said Horatio handing her some aspirins, adding as an after-thought, "just to make sure. So please be extra careful with all samples you handle Valera. We don't need you suspended from duty again."

"Yes Sir, thanks." she replied in a small voice as they both remembered the error in logged DNA that had led to her temporary suspension.

"Good." finished Horatio. He turned to leave and was just out of the door when he heard her say,

"Lieutenant, I hope you had fun last night."

"Why, thank-you Valera. I had a great time." He said, leaving with a small laugh that just shocked Valera, who couldn't remember a single moment with him when he had laughed. She shrugged and turned back to nurse her coffee.

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Eric had just finished interrogating his suspect who had confessed to be the bomb-maker and was heading out to start the paper work and speak to the State Attorney when he noticed Horatio heading into one of the interrogation rooms with a suspect from a different case. It reminded him that he had yet to call Marisol. He walked back to his desk and made the call to the State Attorney about prosecuting his case. After finishing his call he dialled Marisol's home number. She answered after 8 rings,

" 'Ello…" she mumbled into the receiver, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Rise and shine young lady." said Eric imitating their dad's voice

"Papa?" she said, her eyes flew open as she desperately tried to come out off sleep, "Uh…Papa I'm awake, I wasn't asleep…not asleep."

Of all the Delektorsky children Marisol had always slept the most and had been the most difficult to the get of bed in the mornings. Something her father still teasingly reminded her of.

"Mari, I love the way I can get YOU every time, it's Me." said Eric sniggering.

"Ohhh…Eric." she said, relief clear in her voice. "What do you want?" she groaned into the phone.

"Isn't it a little late to be in bed, even for you Marisol?" he asked.

"Well no…seeing as I got to bed at five am I think I've got one more hour to fill my eight hour quota. Yes?"

"Right, whatever…some people have all the luck," muttered Eric jokingly, "So what are you doing for lunch tomorrow? I have the day off, so how about I cook lunch."

"What! Does Ms. Boa Vista not have the day off too, that you're deigning to spend it with me?" asked Marisol playfully, now awake.

"Well…. actually she does have the day off but we're meeting up for dinner. And don't blame me! It's not my fault you always seem to be busy with a certain someone. Heard you guys went to a club yesterday. My boss at club, who would've thought!"

"Yes, you're boss at a club. You know Horatio does have a life outside the lab." She said huffily in his defence before continuing, "We had a really good time with Isabella and Christian. I think Isabella's taken to Horatio. Guess who else was there?" said Marisol issuing out a gentle groan as she stretched out in bed, receiver still in hand.

"Who?"

"Eduardo Viegas. Yup the Big V is back in town." said Marisol, a peculiar note coming into her voice.

"Well Isabella certainly wouldn't have been pleased…how did things go?"

"Well I introduced him, we danced and then he tried to feel me up..."

"HE TRIED TO DO WHAT?" Eric shot up out of his chair enraged.

"Relax Eric! You and Bella are exactly alike. She gave me a piece of her mind on the dance floor. But hey, the guy was drunk, didn't completely know what he was doing. I kneed him and well… Horatio intervened. That kind of put a damper on the evening."

"Bastard! Next time, tell me when you're going out so that I can come along and kick this guy's ass. He's had it coming since you guys were in high school. I just wasn't big enough back then."

"Gosh you boys still do things with your fists, whatever happened to talking." retorted Marisol.

"If you insist Marisol, if you insist." said Eric rolling his eyes at his sister's words. "You're sure he didn't hurt you Marisol?" he asked softly.

Marisol squeezed her eyes shut forcing the memories out of her mind, "Yeah, I'm fine. We have to move on. What's done is done, we…I can't change that Eric."

"Yeah…yes, you're…right."

There was a moment of silence between them before Eric continued, "So…did you know the rewards you presented to Horatio for his bravery last night are very visible this morning. What did you do? Use a saw to file your teeth? I mean Christ, even I'm not that bad."

"Pardon?" she blurted out, wondering what the hell her brother could have possibly hit his head on.

"Horatio…..Err…H. did spend the night with you right?" asked Eric uncomfortably.

"Eric, have you lost your bloody mind! Not that it's any of your business, but Horatio went home, I spoke to him on his cell when I got home." said Marisol raising her voice slightly but ending with a giggle as she remembered the message she'd left. "So what is wrong with Horatio then?"

"Well for one he looks like hell, like he hasn't slept for a while and two…" Eric lowered his voice to a whisper for the second time that day and glanced around him to make sure no one was paying too much attention to him, "And two, his lips are pretty messed up. And knowing you as my sister, I'd say you're guilty on both accounts."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm as innocent as innocent can be. I have no idea what you're on about. And by the way Eric, your lips cause more damage than mine could ever hope to." She replied teasingly, smirking at the fact that she had the upper hand against Eric.

"If you insist Marisol." repeated Eric. Seeing Horatio less than 10 steps away from his desk he hurriedly continued, "So I'll come around at about eleven tomorrow with all the stuff. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. Eleven o'clock then. Love you little brother."

"Love you too," said Eric quickly before hanging up just in time as Horatio reached his desk. "H." said Eric in the best nonchalant voice he could manage. He looked up and studied Horatio's lip without making it too obvious. He couldn't differentiate the wound on the lip without being in closer proximity to Horatio so he stood up.

"Eric, nice work on getting the Parker case wrapped up. I was wondering about the finger-prints from my case, have you had a chance to analyse them yet?" asked Horatio. "Eric…Eric!" called Horatio, taking a step back wondering how long this phase of sometimes lapsing out of it would last amongst his staff. First it had been Calleigh, then Tyler, now Valera and Eric.

"Hmmm, Sorry …what did you say?" asked Eric his mind made up that that was definitely a split lip from a fight and not a make-out session. Eric had been in enough fights to know what a busted lip looked like. When he was younger he had spent hours in front of the mirror admiring the split lips he had picked up in school.

"Analysis of the finger-prints from my case?" repeated Horatio with mild annoyance as he saw Eric shift his gaze from his mouth.

"Yeah, I did those ASAP like you asked. Results show the vic's prints and several others which I compared to reference samples given. There was only one odd print out. The name's in here." said Eric handing the results to Horatio who glanced through it.

"Looks like our hunch paid off. Thank-you Eric." said Horatio, his expression became more sharp and serious as he walked away with a purpose – to confront the killer now that all the pieces had come together and give closure to the victims involved.

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After Eric's call, Marisol drifted back to sleep and woke up a couple of hours later feeling hungry. She couldn't believe that she had spent most of the day in bed – a day wasted in light of the fact that she didn't know how many days she had left. Still, she felt lethargic, like she just couldn't be bothered. She was allowed to feel like that occasionally wasn't she? But she knew she'd feel guilty about it later. Her bones felt heavy and she wished she could still stay in bed but her stomach reminded her that it had been more than 12 hours since she had eaten and she needed to take her medication.

She brushed her teeth and then went downstairs in her pyjamas to make a late-lunch. To her annoyance all she found was a croissant, chocolate spread, a pot of yoghurt and 2 apples in her fruit-basket. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she stomped to the cupboard and counted out her pills before swallowing them. She sat down on the couch in her living room and rapidly munched her way through an apple and a chocolate plastered croissant while watching the sun begin to make it's slow descent. The sunlight streamed through her small balcony warming her living room and adding more color and vibrancy. Minutes later she still felt hungry. She stared at the jar of chocolate spread on the stool beside her before finally giving in to temptation. She got up off her sofa and got a teaspoon from the kitchen that she used to attack the contents of the jar with.

While playing with the chocolate spread she dragged up her conversation with Eric from the dregs of her memory. What was it that he said about Horatio? Messed up lips? Now how did he get that? These and other questions flew through her mind as she looked for plausible answers: maybe he had gone to see someone after he had left them, maybe something had happened with a suspect, maybe he had an accident with his razor blade, she quickly dismissed the last one. The probability of him kissing someone kept popping up into her mind, she knew it was absurd but the jealousy had taken root and had begun to grow in her. Christian had mentioned that Horatio had something to do, but the girls hadn't been able to break his silence in the car. Her eyes settled on the photo she had framed of him – under the baobab tree, which she had taken during their picnic She settled deeper into the sofa and contemplated on what to do. Ignoring him would probably not be the best option out. She sighed, shaking her head as she settled down with her thoughts. Her defences had come up after last night's encounter, and all the memories had come flooding back. Her mind began a tirade of internal conflict : considering he had been there for her so much, shouldn't she reciprocate the emotion and feeling that his actions had on her back to him. Her mind tried to get through to her heart that most importantly of all she was not to jump to conclusions! Especially the conclusion of it being another woman! Hadn't he said that he'd only had eyes for her last night, hadn't he? She knew he had been at home when she called, had he lied about being called to work? But then why would he lie? Maybe he had to pick up his badge or something from home? Her fumbling heart looked for something to grasp on as hope as her thoughts went round in circles. Her logic soon intervened: She should let him explain, god knows he had been patient with her! Her mind stumbled on the fact that she hadn't really said anything about last night to him other than she was fine and she still hadn't called him about the message she'd left. She knew that sometimes she perhaps took her humour too far. What would he think of her leaving such a message at his workplace? As more questions arose in her mind, she began to feel the onset of a headache. She finally decided that the only way to make any progress would be to call him. She looked at her phone, switched it on reluctantly and scrolled down her contacts list for his number. She pressed the 'Call' button but then promptly hung up before it had a chance to connect. She did this several times and after 10 minutes she felt like a complete fool. She took a deep breath and pressed the 'Call' button again.

He answered after a couple of rings, "Hi." His voice was filled with warmth and Marisol felt like he was right there in the room with her. Her mind asked how he managed to radiate his presence so damn far? It was truly amazing.

"Hi. Are you busy? I mean… I can call back if you are."

"That's ok, I have a minute. What's going on?" he asked. Horatio looked around and motioned to Frank, who was waiting to talk to him, that he'd just be a minute.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come over later? If you're not busy and don't have to work late that is." She heard silence at the other end and hastily added, "I promise to cook dinner for you."

"Hmm now how could I possibly resist an offer of good company and good food?" he asked jokingly. "So what time were you thinking?"

"Whatever time suits you. I really don't mind."

"How about I come by after work?" he asked.

"Sure sounds good…. well then I guess I'll see you in a bit."

"I guess I will. And Marisol well…I need to tell you something." Horatio's mind urged him to get it over with, he said gently, "Can we talk about last night?"

Marisol stiffened at his words, "Uhm…Ok, how about we do that later?" she asked, her mind starting to worry again.

"Ok then and thanks for the message, I guess it must be true." He added on a lighter note trying to gauge her feelings out.

She gave a small laugh, that didn't quite sound like her, "Yeah…I see you got that then. Well then, see you later, bye."

"Bye."

Horatio heard the click as she hung up quickly and studied his phone a bit longer before moving to join Frank.

"What the hell happened to you, Horatio?" Asked Frank as he saw the dark stain on Horatio's mouth. Horatio just waved a weary hand to let it go. Frank was unwilling to be dismissed so easily, "Did _you_ get into a fight?" he asked, putting his hands on hips.

"No Francis I didn't. I just had a little accident this morning. Now can we get back to the case? How far along are we in getting a warrant for this guy's stuff from the shooting this morning?"

"Got it right here." said Frank taking it out from inside his jacket, "We better make a move, before the guy decides to get rid of anything else."

"Good point, let's get going." said Horatio. He turned around and left the crime lab, with Frank following close behind him.

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Marisol forced herself to get off the sofa and go for a shower. She still felt slightly tumultuous after the phone conversation. She was feeling apprehensive but glad at the same time. The only thing remaining at the forefront of her mind now was: was she ready to tell him yet? No one knew except her family and Bella and she wanted to keep it like that. There was something holding her back but she couldn't figure out what, and she really didn't feel like figuring it out right now.

After her shower she donned a pair of black knee- length shorts and a pink-red striped t-shirt that cut off just where her shorts began. She then stuffed her wallet into her pocket and left the house to do some grocery shopping for dinner. The sun had just begun to disappear and the shadows were lengthening as Marisol made her way home with an ice-lolly in one hand and a big brown bag full of shopping in the other. As entered the apartment compound she noticed Horatio's car. She frowned and checked her watch, thinking she hadn't been shopping that long had she? She walked up to his car and saw his silhouette against the side of it.

"Hi." said Marisol, a smile on her face as she stepped up towards him.

"Hey, I was getting a bit worried. I was contemplating breaking the door down." he said a smile on his lips as he took in her appearance, especially her slightly un-naturally red tinted lips. They looked so darned kissable right now that he had to mentally restrain himself from pulling her into his arms.

"Well I must confess, I'm really surprised, you're here pretty early. I mean we normally have dinner quite late."

"Surprised in a good way?" he asked, a note of hope in his voice.

"Of course Silly! Horatio you do ask the strangest things sometimes. I love seeing you." she replied in a tone that left no room for doubt.

"Well then, I guess I should surprise you more often huh?" he said bringing his lips closer to hers as she shifted the groceries and ice-lolly in her grasp.

Marisol didn't bother answering him verbally instead she raised herself slightly on her toes and closed the distance between their lips. Horatio tasted the sweet, sticky fruit syrup from the ice-lolly on her lips and for some reason it really turned him on. He was just in the process of deepening their kiss when approaching headlights made them break apart. Marisol raised the hand with the ice-lolly up to block out the lights. They both had a grin plastered on their faces as the car drove past them.

"Do you want some?" she asked raising the ice-lolly to his lips. He shook his head. Marisol could just make out the broad smile on his face from the fading lights, "Are you sure? It's really, really good." She commented before taking a lick. He remained silent so she asked, "Horatio when was the last time you had an ice-lolly?"

"Years ago. I…I really don't remember. I've never really been a fan."

"What…Santa Maria! He's from Miami and he doesn't like ice-lollies." she muttered to herself. " But you have to try this, it's like the best flavour ever. It's a mixture of raspberry and strawberry." This time she thrust it closer to him.

"What about oral hygiene?" he protested weakly, although he was thoroughly enjoying being the centre of her administrations.

"Damn oral hygiene…you have to try this. Besides it's so hot. This really cools you down. Honestly Horatio I don't know how you survive in a jacket at this time of year – unbelievable. Please for me?" she cooed, trying her best to convince him.

He chuckled and opened his mouth allowing her to slide it into his mouth. She left it in his mouth and shifted the groceries. The cool ice provided some relief against his throbbing lip that had started aching after their kiss. Horatio took the groceries from her hand.

"Thanks." She said as she tried to discern him in the darkness that had set about them now.

"Mhmm…" he said as she gently drew it out of his mouth again. He ran his tongue over his lips and felt the sting as it connected with the healing flesh.

"Let's go inside. I'm starving." she said.

Again Horatio heard that mischievous note in her voice that he had heard at the club last night. By the time they walked up the 5 flights of stairs to the top floor Horatio's side and begun to ache with more intensity. He briefly wondered if he possibly had some internal bleeding. He shrugged the thought away remembering the times when he had got thrashed worse than this and had only had bruising.

Marisol got her keys out of her pocket and fumbled with them in the lock because of the darkness. She finally managed to get it open. She took the groceries from his hand and made her way inside with Horatio following close behind. She flicked the lights on with her elbow as she made her way into the house. She made her way to the kitchen and dumped the groceries on the counter before turning back to the ice-lolly in her hand that had begun to trickle down her fingers. She turned back to Horatio and offered him some more. Her heart jumped to her mouth as the bright kitchen light showed his fatigued features. She dumped the melting ice-lolly in the sink and was by his side in a second.

"Oh my god. What happened to you? Eric was right, you do look like… crap, for want of a better word I suppose."

"Pardon?" asked Horatio his features drawing into to form a slight scowl as his eyebrows arched up.

"Don't scowl Horatio, you'll just get more wrinkles." She said as she brushed her hand over his forehead. The creases softened under her touch and she gave a smile. "Eric called me today, he said you looked really tired and busted up, and boy was he right! So what happened?"

Horatio refused to make eye contact with her and merely leant back against the counter. Her face fell as she made the connection, "Does it have to do with last night?" she asked slowly. She let out a sigh at his nod and moved away from him. "Are you hungry yet because I really have the munchies today?"

He looked up at her strangely and shook his head, "Marisol, I have to tell you what happened last night." He said with urgency as he took her hand and drew her to him.

"Ok. Let's sit down then." She said pulling him into the living room. He sat down. Marisol kicked off her sandals to a corner of the room and sat cross-legged on the sofa, her body turned towards him. He closed his eyes and turned himself to face her. "So how did you get this?" she asked watching him slowly open his eyes, the tired blue had been replaced with the intensity she was used to seeing in his eyes.

"I…I got jealous last night after you introduced Viegas to us." Horatio saw her jaw drop slightly, he continued "… and then I got angry with him for trying to hit on you because I know you weren't ok. There was this look you had…" he looked down at his hands, afraid to look at her. His jaw clenched slightly.

Marisol felt her heart grow with love, admiration and respect for the man infront of her. How many times had she imagined having a knight-in-shining armour and here he was infront of her. She couldn't believe he had felt jealous. She hadn't thought that it would have affected him this much. The feminist part of her couldn't believe what it was hearing and was already forming protestations, but she quickly silenced them. She listened to him continue,

" I had this feeling that he'd be outside waiting and that's why I left early, to distract him so Christian could take you home safely. I'm sorry I lied to get away from you guys. I was just trying to…to protect you. We had a bit of a punch-about, hence my lip and then he left. I didn't mean to blow it out of proportion or anything. It's just…I was so angry." Horatio left out mentioning his aching side and Viegas' sidekick. He looked up into her hazel eyes and let out the breath he realised he had been holding since he'd finished.

She reached out for his hand and gently caressed his bruised knuckles with her fingers, "Horatio. I'm sorry. I had no idea this got to you so much. I never did thank you for stepping in when you did. So thank-you."

Horatio merely nodded, his eyes widening slightly as he heard her continue, " I…I know…I feel I owe you an explanation over the way I acted so nonchalantly after he pushed me up against the wall…and right now I'm not ready to give that yet. I can't promise I ever will be ready. All I can say right now is that the two of us had history and a lot of stuff happened back then but yesterday, yesterday was just an accident. I thought maybe he had changed but I guess Bella was right, he hasn't. I guess Eric was right too…"

His expression became puzzled, so she offered him an explanation, "When Eric called me this morning, he thought I'd given you your split lip…although in a different way…" she felt a blush rising as she said this, "I guess I did indirectly bust your lip I was the cause of it." She felt a sadness rising in her as the thought of him getting seriously hurt because of her hurtled through her mind with dizzying clarity. "Are you sure you're ok. I feel awful." She put his hand down, scared to see the marks that she now realised she had caused. She crossed her arms against herself, biting her lip down as she waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He gave a small smile that she didn't have the heart to return it. "Hey…Hey, really I'm ok, it's just a busted lip." He wasn't sure whether to reach out to her or not. She suddenly seemed miles away from him even though he just had to stretch his fingers out to caress her skin.

"I should have been more considerate." she said, more to herself than to him. She wanted to tell him about it, she owed it to him, but something kept holding her tongue back. "I'm sorry Horatio."

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry about."

"Well, then neither do you." she replied almost flippantly. She raised herself slightly and lowered herself onto his lap, placing her bent knees on either side of him in order to face him. He didn't know how but she somehow managed to avoid pressing into his injured side. Horatio felt unsure of what to do with his arms and placed them on either side of her legs. They sat in silence. Marisol ran her fingers all over his face, gently pushing here and there. Horatio relished the feeling of her touching him, his eyes searched her face but she remained curiously engrossed in studying his lip. After a very long moment she placed a light kiss on it. She looked into his eyes and said, "Thank-you Lieutenant…for everything." Her eyes were open, her soul bare to his penetrating gaze.

"Thank-you Marisol." he returned as he pulled her in for a hug.

Her arms closed around him as she nestled her face into his neck. Her embrace tightened as she gently kissed his neck where she felt his pulse. She felt his pulse jump a little more from her kisses, so she lingered there for a moment knowing from the soft gasp that he let out that she had found a sensitive spot. She slowly kissed her way up to his jaw line as they broke apart from their embrace. She continued to tease him by gently nibbling on the unaffected part of his lip. Horatio on his part was at first surprised at the initiative she was taking. She was normally shy; he always felt the initial hesitancy her body conveyed before it began to respond. But this time it was different. Unbidden, Viegas' words came back to him, '_You have no idea what she's like.'_ Horatio immediately felt the jealousy spring up inside him again as he thought of the meanings it conveyed from Viegas having sex with the Marisol that was now his to knowing a secret side to Marisol that he, Horatio was not privy to. Horatio couldn't stand her teasing anymore and was just about to move in and claim her lips when she claimed his. She continued to kiss him, her tongue exploring his mouth, running over the sensitive internal flesh that had earlier been burnt by coffee. She moaned as she felt his hands caress her neck.

He reached up to unclip the bundle of soft curls trapped at the back of her head and slowly ran his hands through her hair.

Her hands moved to his jacket, trying to take it off him. Horatio shrugged off his jacket and was glad that it crumpled to his injured side, therefore cushioning it. Marisol, a smile on her face gently pushed him back against the sofa, again taking his lips with her own. Horatio's hands that initially had caressed her arms slipped under her t-shirt and began caressing her skin with skilled hands.

Marisol's hands moved to the buttons of the cyan dress shirt he was wearing. She slowly undid his buttons only to find the fabric of a t-shirt under it. She moaned as Horatio's hands, which seemed to have easily found all her sensitive spots, began tracing circles around them. She felt his body respond to hers and kissed him even more deeply. It was only when he let out a soft groan from under her lips did she realise how brutal she was being with him. She tasted the iron tang of his blood on her tongue. She quickly disentangled her mouth from his, angry at herself for not realising how much she was hurting him. It was just then that his phone began vibrating in his breast pocket. Marisol smiled at him and gave him a peck on the cheek before hopping of his lap with surprising agility and flexibility, given the position she had been in.

Horatio took the phone from out of his pocket and tried to slow down his breathing, running his tongue against his bleeding lip.

"Caine here."

"Horatio? Hi it's Susie."

"Susie! Hi…everything all right?

"Horatio, I know it's a Saturday night and I feel really bad imposing on you, especially on such short notice, but we're understaffed at the moment and the manager's just asked me to work overtime. I probably won't get back home till about three or four in the morning and Madison's babysitter finishes sitting in an hour and she can't stay longer. I was wondering if you could take Madison this weekend instead of next weekend then?" she finished rather breathlessly.

Horatio gathered that from the speed of her voice that she was obviously in a hurry.

"Susie don't worry. I can take Madison for the weekend, I'll go round and pick her up. You get some rest when you get back. That sounds like some serious overtime," he chuckled into the phone.

"Yeah well the Agramonte has had a last minute wedding come up, so it's really all hands on deck. You're sure it's ok."

"It's fine. Really I don't want you to worry about it."

"Thank-you Horatio, thanks so much." she said a note of relief in her voice.

"No worries. I'll call you when I get Madison. Is that ok?"

"Sounds great. I'll talk to you later then?"

"Yes. Bye then." said Horatio hearing Susie's name being called in the background.

"Bye." She said quickly and hung up.

Marisol came back with a tumbler full of ice cubes and perched herself on his lap again. She held the ice against his lip, feeling him wince slightly as the initial sensation of fiery cold collided with his exposed flesh.

"I'm sorry I hurt you again." She said a bit embarrassed.

"That's ok….So…" he was slurring slightly as she continued to hold the ice against his lip.

"Something come up?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer to her question. Her free hand moved from tracing out the lines on his face to his shirt. She slowly began redoing his buttons, her gaze moving from his shirt to his face.

"Yes, something has. My sister-in-law has to work late tonight, and it's rather unexpected. So I have to go pick my niece up." He lowered his voice to a whisper as he caressed her face, "I'm sorry about dinner."

"You have a niece?" she asked, her mind ran through the photos she had seen on his mantle. She didn't recall seeing a picture of a possible niece.

"Yeah I do. It's a long story." He said wearily not wanting to spoil the good mood he was in by remembering how he found out about Ray's infidelity.

"Ok. Don't worry, we can do dinner some other time."

"How about tomorrow evening then? My place? I guess I'll have to make it up to you twice then." He said flirtatiously and Marisol nodded and felt a shiver of excitement run through her.

"Ok, tomorrow evening then. I'll give you a call about the time. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect, as usual. Say hi to your niece for me." she said rolling her eyes slightly as thoughts of 'Horatio's perfect' ran through her head.

"Will do."

They sat in silence for a moment. Marisol continued playing with his shirt and then let out a sigh and gracefully extracted herself off his lap. Horatio stood up and slipped into his jacket, shrugging and pulling the lapels down slightly. Marisol looked on with tenderness. She stepped up to him and smoothed out his lapels. A smile played on his lips as she reached up for his face once more and kissed him with great tenderness.

"Horatio, will you get some sleep tonight while I try to think of a better word to say to you other than 'crap' when I see you tomorrow."

"Yes Marisol." He said laughing.

She walked with him to the door. He gave her a goodnight peck on the cheek.

She wagged a finger at him threateningly, "Don't forget to sleep Lieutenant!"

"Yes ma'am," said Horatio, blowing her a kiss before he descended the stairs, ice cube in hand to apply to his swollen lip.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: A happy belated Easter to all those who read this fic, hope you guys had a fabulous holiday! This has taken a while to put up!! Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter. There's a lot more dialogue now that there are more characters getting involved. What do you guys think of the characters so far? Do i seem to be drifting too far away from them? Your thoughts on the matter would be awesome to hear. Hope you enjoy this chapter, happy reading.

Disclaimer: All the characters in this chapter belong to CBS, J.Bruckheimer et al.

A Ledge

When Horatio Caine had woken up that morning, Marisol Delektorsky was the first thing that came to his mind. He had lain in bed watching the first rays of the day peek through his windows while he thought about 'them'. It was funny how he thought of her as Delektorsky and Eric as Delko. Was his mind trying that hard to separate them so as to justify that it was all right for him to see a colleague's sibling. He could not wait to see her today despite the fact that they had seen each other last night.

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Later that same day, Marisol said bye to Eric and thanked him for cooking lunch before stepping out of his car and making her way to Horatio's front door. She looked at the doorbell and decided to knock instead of ringing. She rapped smartly several times and waited. She and Eric had had a leisurely lunch during which Horatio had called to invite her over for an early dinner. So here she was at 5 p.m. outside his door.

Hearing the rapping, Horatio made his way to his front door. His heart felt a rush of joy knowing she would soon be with him, in his presence, in his sight, in his arms… and there she was - clad in a coral coloured summer dress, her hair loose, eyes wide open, and a smile on her lips. Was she really his? His heart fluttered slightly as the answer came to mind.

"Hi. How are you?" he asked, stepping aside to let her come in.

"Good thank-you. Your lip still looks pretty bad." She replied, stepping past him and kissing him lightly on his cheek.

"I'll live." said Horatio with a chuckle, closing the door behind her.

"Wow, what happened to your place?" she asked animatedly, looking around his front room as she tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear.

"My niece, Madison. That's what happened." He said laughing. "What's in the bag?" he asked politely, pointing to the small grocery bag in her hand.

"Ah…yes. These are for you, peaches from Portugal. They grow the most amazing peaches there. I thought you might like to try a couple." She said handing him the bag.

"Thank-you." He said taking the bag from her. He walked away from her to put them in the kitchen.

She was just about to follow him in when she spied a little girl coming out of Horatio's study. Marisol stopped in her tracks as the little girl started to say, "Are we…" The little girl glanced at Marisol and let out a small scream. Marisol quickly picked up the evident panic in her voice but before she could do anything the little girl dashed out of sight into the kitchen from an alternate entry. Even thought she knew she was being irrational, Marisol couldn't help but hope that the girl was Horatio's niece and not his daughter because the physical resemblance between the two was remarkable. Horatio hadn't mentioned his niece would be here when he spoke to her, not that she minded. It would be the first time she would meet a family relation of his and this made her happy. He had still remained relatively closed up about them. Marisol walked into the kitchen to find Horatio crouched on the floor a smile on his face, the little girl whispering in his ear.

Both redheads looked up at her as she walked around the marble slab in centre of the kitchen that served as a table at one end and as a work surface at the other. Horatio stood up and gestured between them as he said, "Marisol, may I introduce my niece Madison. Madison this is Marisol and she'll be joining us for dinner."

"Hi Madison." ventured Marisol, leaning forward, trying to make eye contact with the 6- year old.

Madison stayed hidden behind her uncle's leg. She peeked around and gave a shy smile, "Hello Miss Marisol."

Marisol laughed at how much Madison sounded like Horatio and bent down to Madison's height, "You can call me Marisol."

Madison ducked behind Horatio's leg again. "She's shy around new people." mouthed Horatio to Marisol as she straightened herself up. Marisol nodded in understanding. "Sweetheart, you can't hide behind me forever, come on." said Horatio gently. He offered her his hand to hold. Madison took it shyly and allowed him to draw her out so that she was level with him. She stood there with one hand in his, her other hand keeping a firm hold on his jeans. They both gave Marisol a shy smile.

Marisol could not help but say, "I can see how you guys are related." She ran a hand over her head and smiled thinking how adorable uncle and niece looked together and wished she had her camera with her.

"So, we're having barbecued chicken for dinner. Its Madison's favourite. Is that ok?" asked Horatio.

"Sounds great. You know that's Eric's favourite too." said Marisol to Horatio.

"Is Eric your son?" asked Madison quietly.

Marisol's eyebrows shot up as she giggled and shook her head, "No, Eric's my brother and he works for your uncle."

Madison gave her a small smile, "Do you have any children Miss Marisol?"

Horatio glanced at his niece in surprise. The fact that Madison was already speaking to Marisol was astounding, let alone the asking of such questions. His niece was very shy, although, she hadn't taken long to open up to him she was incredibly reserved around other people.

"No I don't Madison, but I do have lots of nieces and nephews." said Marisol brightly. There was silence for a few moments as Madison just continued to stare at Marisol and then dropped her gaze to the tiled floor.

Horatio let go of his niece's hand and walked around to the other side, Madison followed him as he said to Marisol, "Would you mind giving Madison a hand with laying the table?"

"No problem." said Marisol stepping up to him and taking the proffered plates.

Horatio handed Marisol the plates and Madison the utensils. "Madison, sweetheart, do you want to show Marisol where we're having dinner?"

Madison nodded, her eyes still drawn to the floor. She made her way out of the kitchen and towards the veranda. Marisol followed a close distance behind, not wanting to impose on the child. Instead she studied Madison; her long red hair, still wet from the shower was beginning to curl as it dried, hung loosely down her shoulders. Madison was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a forest green t-shirt that showed off her pale skin and freckles. There could be no doubt - she was Horatio's flesh and blood. Marisol just smiled at the fact that there was just something about her, apart from her appearance that was very 'Caine-like'. Marisol glanced at the photos on Horatio's mantle again and saw some similarities with the red-haired man, she had assumed to be Horatio's brother. She finally spotted a picture of Madison. It was a school photo. There were no other photos of her and her parents like there were for Horatio's nephew. This struck Marisol as rather odd, maybe she'd ask Horatio about it later if she was able to.

Madison pushed the sliding door open to go outside and walked up to the small table that Marisol and Horatio had had their first month anniversary dinner on. She stood on her tip-toes to organise the forks and knives in their respective places on the table. Marisol began placing the plates in the middle of Madison's settings.

"So Madison, how old are you?" asked Marisol as way of conversation to get Madison to feel more comfortable around her.

Madison held up six fingers in response to Marisol's question.

"You're six huh? I have a niece who's also six years old." said Marisol to Madison.

Silence.

"Well…I'm going to be seven soon." offered Madison a little hesitantly.

"Oh that's nice. My niece just turned six last month. So when's your birthday?" asked Marisol sitting down on the ledge that lined the steps leading down to the gate that in turn led to the beach.

Madison looked at her in silence for a couple of minutes before sitting down next to Marisol. "My birthday is on the 10th of August." said Madison with a sense of pride and excitement.

"Wow, you're right, that's not too far away at all." said Marisol folding her hands into her lap and taking her first good look at Madison's face. "Whatcha doing for your birthday?"

"I'm having a party and all my friends are coming." said Madison her voice becoming more animated.

"Well sounds like an excellent idea. Hope you have lots of fun.' said Marisol cheerfully.

Madison nodded enthusiastically a broad smile appearing on her face.

"May I ask you a question Miss Marisol?" asked Madison, lapsing into her shy state once again.

"Only if you promise to call me Marisol and not Miss Marisol." said Marisol. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and winked as she said, "It makes me feel like I'm in school."

Madison nodded shyly, a smile breaking out on her face. "Ok then. Do you work with Uncle Horatio…Mmm…Marisol?"

"Goodness no Madison. I don't think I could cope with your Uncle's work….I met your Uncle through my brother Eric. Trust me when I say your Uncle and I work in completely different areas." said Marisol laughing. "Your uncle and I…we're…" Marisol blushed as she struggled to find the appropriate words to describe their relationship to Horatio's 6-year old niece, "We're good friends…' finished Marisol rather lamely.

Horatio had just stepped out onto the veranda when he heard Marisol's response, "Just good friends huh?" asked Horatio, an expression of mock hurt on his face. Marisol didn't think her face could possibly become any more beet- red. Marisol's hands twisted around themselves making her feel more like a fool than ever.

"Horatio can I use your bathroom?" she asked quickly.

"Sure." said Horatio a big smile on his face. He waved a hand towards the interior of the house as he fiddled with the grill.

Marisol gave Madison a smile before standing up and making a dignified exit as possible without giving the impression of running into the house.

Madison watched her Uncle test the heat of the grill before putting the chicken pieces onto it.

"So Madison, Marisol brought us some lovely peaches. How about we have those for dessert?" he asked. He looked across at her briefly before turning his attention back to the chicken.

"Are peaches the ones with velvety skin Uncle Horatio?"

"Yes, they certainly are." said Horatio warmly.

"Yummy." said Madison responsively, quite at ease in Horatio's presence. She began to swing her legs, her hands coming to rest on her knees. "Uncle Horatio?"

"Yes Madison?"

"Miss Marisol is very pretty."

Horatio couldn't help but grin at this astute observation, "Yes she is, isn't she?"

Madison nodded before saying, "Is Mommy coming to have dinner with us too?"

"No sweetheart, I'm going to take you home after dinner. You're Mom's had a really busy weekend at work and needs her rest. So, since you're still on holiday your Mom said it's ok if I bring you home a bit later in the evening. Is that ok?"

Madison listened intently to his words and nodded. "Can we watch 'Aladdin' before we go?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelids at Horatio.

"Maybe…if there's time that is." He said and then sighed. He rolled his eyes slightly. He knew he could never say no to her. She was his one and only niece and since he she had become a part of his life he'd come to love the little girl more and more, even though she was the product of Ray's infidelity. She reminded him so much of Raymond when he was a child. She and Susie were his only physical connection to Raymond in his life at the moment. Telephone conversations just didn't cut it sometimes. There were times when he desperately missed Raymond. Knowing Raymond was alive hurt much more than thinking that Raymond was dead because he couldn't have the intimacy he was used to having with his brother. Perhaps Madison's existence was a mistake, but he was now more than glad that this 'mistake' had happened. Horatio mentally chided himself for thinking of Madison as a 'mistake', it just sounded so crude. He viciously skewered the piece of chicken he was grilling.

Madison noticed and asked, "Are you okay Uncle Horatio?" Getting no response, she inched her way to him trying to keep well away from the heat of the grill.

Horatio heard his name being called from somewhere, he looked around him blankly and registered Madison tugging at his jeans and looking up at him with blue eyes, Raymond's eyes.

"Madison?"

"Are you all right Uncle Horatio?" she asked again, "You look very far away, like Mommy does sometimes."

Horatio looked down at the charred chicken on his skewer, "I'm fine Madison. Why don't you go sit back down? I don't want you to get burnt by the grill. It's very hot, ok?"

Madison continued to tug at his jeans, he crouched down to her eye level, "What is it sweetheart?"

"You look sad Uncle Horatio." She said staring into his eyes. She kissed him on his cheek and then said, "Smile Uncle Horatio." She used her hands to stretch the corners of his mouth upwards into a smile.

"Just for you." said Horatio, turning the corners of his mouth up into a genuine smile as he abandoned his thoughts of Raymond.

Marisol rejoined them moments later looking more at ease now that she had managed to get rid of the hot blush that had appeared. While Horatio continued to grill, Marisol tried to draw Madison out some more by asking her questions about school and her friends but Madison's shyness continued to linger. However, when they sat down to eat Madison began to open up to Marisol's questions as Horatio joined in the conversation more.

"Marisol can I offer you some wine?" asked Horatio as he placed the salad on the table.

"Just water please Horatio." said Marisol.

"All right then. Madison what would you like?"

"Water please, Uncle Horatio." said Madison smiling at Marisol who had just sat down at the table opposite Madison. Madison then copied Marisol, whose hands that were clasped infront of her. Both of them turned to look at Horatio.

"Alrighty then. I'll be right back." said Horatio as he made his way back into the house.

Madison and Marisol simply sat in silence that started out as awkward but then moved to comfortable when Marisol smiled brightly at the little girl seated across her. Horatio came out again minutes later with a pitcher of water. He poured some water into their glasses. Madison said grace under the watchful eye of her uncle, Marisol bit down on her lip as she watched them, trying very hard to keep a straight face and thinking how long it had been since she had said grace at a meal.

"So Madison did you know…did you know Marisol has five nieces and nephews?" asked Horatio, raising his eyebrows slightly, as he served Madison.

Madison shook her head as she cut into her food. Marisol continued, "Yeah, I have two nieces and three nephews."

"What are their names? Are they all my age?" asked Madison eagerly, coming out of her shyness once again.

"Well there's Leo, he's five and he's the youngest. Then there's Carmen who just turned six. Then there's Aida who's nine. She and Leo are brother and sister. Then finally there are Marco and Mikhail who are twins and they are fifteen." said Marisol.

"So Carmen, Marco and Mi…Mikhail?" asked Madison, hesitant over pronouncing the last name, she continued when she received a smile and nod from Marisol who was chewing on some salad, "Are brothers and sister? How come they're brothers if they're the same age?" asked Madison.

Marisol swallowed her mouthful of salad quickly, "Well Marco and Mikhail are twins. That means they were born on the same day at the same time."

Madison let out a long, understanding, 'oh'.

"So Leo and Aida are Ekaterina's children?" asked Horatio for clarification having met one of Eric's sisters before.

"Yes. While the others are Blanca's children." replied Marisol who was a middle child. Marisol had two elder sisters while Eric was the youngest.

"So who's your favourite?" asked Madison her eyes holding a glint of mischief.

"Well I'm not allowed to have any." said Marisol smiling.

"But everyone has a favourite," said Madison in a rather petulant tone, "I'm Uncle Horatio's favourite, right Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison in a whiny-attention-seeking tone.

Horatio laughed, "That's because you're the only one Madison! So of course you have to be the favourite niece and Ray Junior has to be the favourite nephew... I'm kidding sweetheart. Of course you're my favourite niece."

"Do you have one Mi…Marisol?" asked Madison again.

Marisol thought for a while before saying "Well if I tell you it has to be a secret ok? Our little secret. Deal?"

Madison gave a toothy grin and nodded. Marisol smiled at Horatio who smiled back. Marisol lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned forward. Madison copied her actions, "My favourite is Carmen because she's my god-daughter and I'm her god-mother."

"Did God send you then? Oh, wow! Are you a fairy god-mother like in 'Sleeping Beauty'?" asked Madison excitedly, clapping her palms softly together.

Marisol laughed, "No Madison, not quite a fairy god-mother although I'm sure Carmen wished that."

Madison's face fell with disappointment as she heard Marisol's response. Her next question was already tripping off her tongue, "What's a god-mother then Uncle Horatio?"

Horatio thought for a moment, "Well sweetheart, you can have a god-mother and a god-father. I'm Ray Junior's god-father. A god-parent looks after you when your parents are away."

Madison thought for a moment, "Like you do Uncle Horatio?"

"Kind of sweetheart. I'm your Uncle. I'm family so I _have_ to look after you, " he grinned at Madison and poked her side playfully. Madison grinned back trying to poke him but missing. "God-parents can be anyone your parents choose." Horatio finished.

"Do I have god-parents Uncle Horatio?" inquired Madison.

"You know what? I'm really not sure Madison. We can ask your mom tonight all right?" said Horatio and smiled as Madison nodded her head keenly.

"Do you have god-parents?" asked Madison not directing the question in particular to anyone. Marisol looked at Horatio with interest at this question knowing that he wouldn't try and hide anything from his niece that he may with her.

"Yes I do…or rather I did, but they both died." said Horatio quietly, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Oh. I'm sorry Uncle Horatio." said Madison. She smiled sweetly at him and patted his hand, which had been resting near his plate. He smiled back at her, his eyes reverting to the twinkling blue they had been minutes earlier.

"And Miss Marisol…I mean Marisol." asked Madison attentively.

"Well my god-parents live in Portugal."

"Where's that?" chirped Madison.

"Well it's in Europe close to Spain. It's a tiny country where they have the loveliest peaches." said Marisol.

"Uncle Horatio says we're having peaches for dessert. Do you like peaches Marisol?" asked Madison, looking at Marisol over the rim of her glass.

"I love peaches Madison." said Marisol.

"Me too, me too!" responded Madison with glee.

"When did you last go to Portugal?" asked Horatio putting down his fork and knife and helping himself to some more chicken.

"Last year in February just after I found…found out…" she left the sentence unfinished knowing Horatio would know what she meant. She didn't think she could handle Madison's questions about cancer. She still wasn't ready. She felt Horatio rub his knee against her leg in understanding. She quickly continued, "We're very close, and they come to Miami every now and again and stay with us."

"Cool." said Madison not having noticed Marisol's brief silence.

"So, is 'Sleeping Beauty' your favourite cartoon Madison?" asked Marisol trying to change the subject.

"Uh-Uh." said Madison shaking her head vehemently.

"Definitely not." added Horatio with a smile.

"I love 'Aladdin'. 'Finding Nemo' used to be my favourite, but then my mommy rented 'Aladdin' for me one night and now that's my favourite."

"Trust me Marisol, the child is in love with that cartoon," said Horatio rolling his eyes, "I've already watched it four times with her."

Madison giggled, "I've watched it more than twenty times. I love genie and Abu. And mommy is going to let me watch 'Return of Jafar' soon, you know."

"Wow, that's Aida's favourite cartoon too. Oh I think you'll like 'Return of Jafar' although it's a bit shorter than 'Aladdin'."

"All the better." mumbled Horatio, only to receive a playful tap on his hand from Marisol. Luckily, Madison hadn't heard him.

"Well I liked 'Aladdin' too, Madison, but my favourite cartoon is 'the Little Mermaid'. Have you seen it?" asked Marisol.

"But you're a grown up. I thought grown-ups didn't like cartoons." said Madison confidently.

Marisol laughed; she remembered how her nieces and nephews had thought that too, "Well Madison, every grown-up, every grown-up has a favourite cartoon. Trust me." Seeing that Madison didn't look completely convinced, "I'm sure your Uncle Horatio has a favourite cartoon." continued Marisol craftily in an effort to convince Madison.

Madison looked at Horatio expectantly, "Ahem…well…Uh lets see, cartoons, hmm, cartoons…I really like Tom and Jerry cartoons." admitted Horatio not wanting to disappoint his niece.

"See there you go Madison, even your Uncle Horatio, one of the most serious grown-ups I know has a favourite cartoon." said Marisol.

"Uncle Horatio's the most serious grown-up you know? Me too." exclaimed Madison wide-eyed slightly in awe of her uncle now.

Marisol nodded her head, her eyes turned towards him. It surprised him to see that they were rather guarded. He could not read her as he usually could because in addition her body language was giving nothing away.

Horatio coughed slightly trying to break the sudden silence that had settled around them. "Marisol would you like some more?" he asked offering her the plate of chicken.

"Can I have some more Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison

"Sure you can. Do you want a drum stick or a piece of breast?"

"Drum stick please."

Horatio served Madison, Marisol said "No I'm fine thanks. Eric made lunch for me earlier."

"Eric can cook?" asked Horatio surprised. Horatio had slowly learnt from Marisol that Eric was not the man everyone thought he was. It seemed his young protégée, that he had personally trained, had more qualities than he cared to show in the lab.

"Yeah, he can cook. My mother made sure of that." said Marisol with a smile as she fiddled with the edge of her plate.

Half an hour later they were all finished, dinner and peaches and all. Marisol took rather a long time with her peach, something Horatio filed away in his memory as a small detail. Horatio insisted that Marisol relax while he and Madison cleared the table because she was his guest. Marisol reluctantly agreed and perched herself on the ledge that she and Madison had been sitting on earlier. She kept her glass with her, now and then taking a sip from it. She soon drifted off; her eyes caught up in the view that Horatio's veranda offered at this time of day.

Madison talked while she helped Horatio load the dishwasher about what time they'd leave. When they'd finished Madison walked with Horatio up to the sliding door. They both noticed that Marisol seemed lost in her own world.

"Uncle Horatio, Marisol looks far away like you and Mommy do."

"I guess she does, huh?" said Horatio, "So, what do you want to do now?" asked Horatio bending down to look her in the eye.

"I want to finish my colouring and then can we go on the beach again?"

If you finish your colouring and tidy up soon we can go to the beach. How does that sound?"

Madison nodded her approval, "Uncle Horatio, don't you think Miss Marisol would look like Jasmine if she had a blue dress on?"

Horatio looked at Marisol and then at his niece and then at Marisol again. "I guess you're right sweetheart. Who am I to argue with an Aladdin expert?" said Horatio winking at Madison.

"Right you are Sir." said Madison before scurrying away to Horatio's study to finish her colouring.

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Horatio looked out the glass partition once more and sighed at the thought of finally being able to be alone with her now. He walked out towards her and crouched down behind her, his face appearing above her right shoulder. She didn't seem to sense him right beside her, or if she did, her body did well in giving no indication that she sensed him. He looked out at the view with her for a moment.

He kissed her bare shoulder tenderly, "Hi." he said.

"Hi." She replied softly locking eyes with him briefly before turning back to the view. Her hand came up and she gently rubbed her palm against his face. He kissed his way up her palm, towards her fingertips. His arms lightly came around her waist, his hands now resting in her lap. Her other, free hand rested in between his clasped ones. Marisol closed her eyes for a moment taking in everything about him. Horatio felt her relax ever so slightly. He moved his face closer in line towards hers, so that they were cheek-to-cheek now. Her hand continued to caress his face. There was silence for a few minutes.

"This is beautiful." said Marisol rubbing her cheek slightly against his.

"Oh believe me, it's beautiful in more ways than one." said Horatio impishly. He smiled as he felt the warmth, from her cheeks flushing, seep into his skin as she took in his meaning. He felt her mouth turning upwards into a smile and her body stiffen slightly. Horatio registered that she was still shy about the physical intimacy of their relationship but pushed it to the back of his mind to think about later.

"Where's Madison?" Marisol whispered.

"She's inside doing some colouring. She reckons you'd look like Jasmine from 'Aladdin' if you had a blue dress on. And I'm inclined to agree with the little one."

Marisol's smile widened, "Thank-you. Horatio." She said before planting a teasing kiss on his lips.

"Dinner was a pleasure, as always, you don't have to thank me for that." He said coolly.

"Well thank-you for dinner and for letting me meet Madison. It means a lot plus she's wonderful. She seems great, not at all as devilish as my lot."

"Oh she has her moments." conceded Horatio. They remained silent. Horatio soon felt the quadriceps in his thighs beginning to tremble a little from maintaining his crouched position for such a prolonged period now. "Dance with me?" he whispered against her ear. Marisol didn't know why but those words sounded like heaven to her. The way he whispered them against her ear just made her feel so...so…her mind blanked for an explanation for the warmth and tightness she was feeling around her heart. She turned to look at him and nodded.

"Thank-you." he said as he helped her up. She felt goose bumps rise where his fingers let go of her arm.

They went inside. Horatio put some music on, Marisol waited for him to join her in the centre of his living room. He walked up to her and pulled her close as they began to move to the vocals of John Lee Hooker.

"No. Watch with me?" She whispered. He surrendered his hold on her. She turned around and changed his position so that they were both facing the view Horatio's house afforded. She pulled his arms around her waist, "Like this." She said as she leaned slightly backwards and rested her head against his chest bringing her hands to rest on top of his. They both moved slower now, their bodies intimately pressed against each other. The tide was going out leaving a sparkling trail of seaweed, coral, shells and wet sand that the sun glinted off, this, coupled with the changing hues of the sky made it a breathtaking scene.

"So, do I… in your opinion look any better today Miss Marisol?" he asked, his voice softly resonating in her ear, a mixture of mirth and affection.

She smiled and lifted one of her hands up to trace out his lips, she lingered for a moment on his lip wound, "Oh as handsome as handsome gets." She replied light-heartedly, gently squeezing his hands. They danced on, not wanting to break the intimacy of the moment, content to let the lyrics and the beat of the music guide them.

Madison suddenly appeared, "Ooh! Uncle Horatio, you're dancing with Marisol like how Mommy dances with Fabio!" shouted Madison who had finished tidying up and her colouring and had brought out her sand bucket as she now wanted to go onto the beach.

Madison startled both Marisol and Horatio. Marisol stumbled back against Horatio, her elbow digging into his injured side as her weight fell back onto him. Horatio, caught completely unaware, felt the pain shooting up his side and saw red for a moment, he managed to steady Marisol before realising that he too had lost his balance and was now falling on his injured side. His hand went instinctively to protect his side but it was too late.

He lay on the floor his teeth clenched tightly to prevent the escape of the groan stuck in his throat caused by the intensity of the pain. Marisol fell to her knees and Madison followed suit. "Uncle Horatio! Uncle Horatio! What's wrong?" asked Madison, panic in her voice as she saw his face.

"Horatio, Darling, where does it hurt? Talk to me." She said taking hold of one of his hands. He crushed her hand in his, an outlet to release the pain he was in. Horatio's eyes rolled upwards before coming back into focus again. Marisol with her other hand removed the hand that seemed clamped to his side now.

"Miss Marisol, what's wrong with Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison hopping frantically around Horatio.

"Madison. I need you to stay focused. Give me just a couple of minutes ok?" said Marisol firmly but gently in an effort to calm Madison down.

Marisol lifted Horatio's shirt and saw the extent of the nasty bruise that was now green and purple. Marisol's mind quickly made the connection between his bruise and his lip, but she put her anger on the backburner, the most important thing was to make him feel better.

"Madison, where can I get some ice?" asked Marisol turning to Madison after seeing his bruising. Madison tugged Marisol's hand. Marisol got up and followed Madison into the kitchen. Madison showed her the ice dispenser. While Marisol figured out how to work it, Madison fetched a kitchen towel from a drawer and handed it to Marisol.

"Madison, go and stay with your Uncle. He needs you. Ok sweetheart?" said Marisol as she pushed a button and heard the satisfying clunk of ice dropping into the collector. Madison nodded and ran back to Horatio. Marisol worked quickly to build a temporary ice pack.

In the meantime, Horatio had been able to sit himself up against his couch. The music was now grating on his nerves. He clenched his teeth as he crawled from the couch to the stereo system and back. The intense agony he had experienced initially had lessened to a throbbing pain. Madison sat down next to him.

"Sorry Uncle Horatio." she said timidly.

Horatio moistened his lips, "That's ok sweetheart. It was just an accident. I…I don't want you to worry about it, ok?" said Horatio soothingly. His mind was already trying to solve the problem of how to explain to Marisol why he had left out the part about his side when he had told her about the fight he had had with Viegas.

"Temporary ice-pack." said Marisol kneeling down beside him. Her hand reached under his shirt and pressed the ice pack gently against his side. She was still very concerned about him.

"Thanks." said Horatio struggling to straighten himself against the couch. They all sat in silence for a while. Madison leant against him while Marisol insisted on holding the ice against his side.

"How you feeling?" asked Marisol uneasily, "Shall I call Eric? Maybe we should take you to the hospital or…"

Horatio cut her off, "Marisol, I'm fine. Really I am. It's just a bruise."

"Horatio, you were on the verge of passing out." She argued back, but before she could continue, Horatio, forgetting about Madison, caught her lips, and kissed her urgently. He released her lips when he heard Madison try to suppress a giggle.

"Marisol, really I'm fine. See, I'm fine." said Horatio, struggling slightly as he got to his feet.

"You're sure?" asked Marisol doubtfully, looking up at him.

"I promise." said Horatio. Marisol sighed gently and stood up, shaking her head ruefully. "So Madison, how about we go on the beach now, before it gets too dark?" said Horatio turning to his niece who had gotten to her feet too.

"Does it still hurt Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison, still timid.

"Not a lot sweetheart. Come on, before it gets too dark.."

"Can Marisol come?" asked Madison

"Of course she can!" exclaimed Horatio holding his hand out to Madison. "That's if she wants to." said Horatio looking at Marisol who still had the ice pack in her hand.

Madison picked up her bucket, "Are you coming Marisol?"

"I'd love to Madison, but your uncle has to agree to behave." said Marisol

"But…but Uncle Horatio is always good." said Madison confused.

Marisol and Horatio laughed at this, "Never mind dear." said Marisol to Madison. Horatio offered her his arm, which she took. Marisol didn't realise that she was still carrying the ice-pack until Horatio pointed it out to her when they were taking off their shoes at the gate, that led down to the beach. She placed it on the ledge that she had been sitting on earlier.

On the beach, Horatio and Marisol strolled hand in hand. She occasionally asked him if he was feeling all right, to which he replied yes. Madison ran some yards ahead of them picking up shells and pieces of coral and putting them in her bucket. Now and again, she would run back to Horatio and Marisol to show them the treasures she had found.

"Horatio, you should have told me about that bruise last night. It's a bit obvious you got that from the fight. It looks really nasty." said Marisol after they had walked along for a while. Her anger was still simmering.

"I didn't want you to worry Marisol." said Horatio. His thumb stroked calming circles on her hand that he held, he turned to face her in an attempt to hold her gaze, but she refused to let herself be caught in his blue depths. Marisol remained silent her anger finally spilling over. She pulled her hand out of his and left his side to join Madison. She ignored him completely and played with Madison instead. A breeze swept around them tousling her hair and ruffling the ends of her dress against her knees. Every now and again Horatio would see the anger flash in her eyes and it made her, in his eyes, all the more attractive. He wasn't happy about the situation, but he had known, from the moment he had formed his plan in the club, that a happy ending was not a probable outcome. Madison and Marisol stopped for a moment to examine a rock pool, allowing Horatio to catch up with them.

"Say something please." He said, gently taking hold of her arm as Madison skipped forward.

"You make me really…cross sometimes. Anything else you want to tell me about that night?" spat Marisol hotly.

"I would never hurt you Marisol." he said taking her hand, she didn't resist him. Horatio looked down at her hand, "Never." he said softly again. "I'm sorry for making you cross Marisol." He said looking into her eyes this time. Marisol's anger seeped away as she gazed into his eyes.

"They say that… that you should never let the sun set on an argument…" she said before kissing him. She turned his head with her hands so that together they could watch the sun sink slowly behind the outline of the city that was their home. They stood in silence for some moments until the sun had disappeared and twilight had set about them. Again, Horatio felt wonder at knowing Marisol: she once again revealed to his threadbare soul the beauty around him that he didn't acknowledge often enough.

"Horatio, it's done. Forget it." She said softly. She paused before continuing, "You're an extremely hard person to stay mad at. You know that?" she asked as she patted his chest.

He grinned, "No I didn't. But did you know how beautiful you are when you're angry?"

Marisol shook her head in mock annoyance and rolled her eyes. Horatio rubbed his hands slowly along her arms to get rid of the goose bumps that had appeared on her skin as the breeze blew more forcefully around them.

"Madison, it's getting dark now. I think we should head home now." suggested Horatio.

"Five more minutes, please, Uncle Horatio." called Madison.

"Ok, five minutes then sweetheart." said Horatio.

After five minutes had passed, Madison rather reluctantly led the way back to Horatio's place. Marisol stopped once or twice to pick up something to add to Madison's bucket. When they arrived back at Horatio's, they dusted the sand from their feet and went inside.

Marisol excused herself and went to the bathroom while Madison announced that she was going to pack up her things. Horatio nodded and went into the kitchen. He began unloading the dishwasher when he felt Marisol's gaze on him.

"Hi." He said turning to her for a moment before resuming his task.

She remained silent. He looked at her again when she didn't say anything. She walked up to him. She took his hand and led him away from his chore. He looked at her in confusion. "What's goin…" she stopped him mid-sentence by placing a finger against his lips. He decided to play along with her and offered no further resistance. Marisol led him out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Lie down Horatio." she said pointing to the couch. He was about to protest again but before he could she said, "Seriously Horatio. This won't take longer than ten minutes. I promise."

He complied with her not wanting to maker her 'cross' again. He lay down and looked up at her. She smiled at him and dropped down to her knees. "Close your eyes." she instructed. He looked at her puzzled. She passed her hand over his face and gently shut his eyelids. Horatio kept his eyes closed and listened to the silence around him. He felt her hand un-tuck the part of his shirt that covered his injured side. His eyes flew open and he stiffened as he felt her fingers slowly add pressure to his bruised skin. She reached up and closed his eyes again. This time when her fingers touched his skin, they felt moist with what, judging from the smell, Horatio guessed to be balm. His skin began to burn but the aching pain he had felt subsided as the burning sensation lessened leaving his skin cool. Her fingers moved slowly around his bruised area gently pressing and rubbing in the balm Horatio groaned slightly as her fingers passed over a particularly sensitive spot. Her fingers paused, went back and lingered there for a while until she heard him release the breath he had been holding because of the pain.

Marisol worked his skin gently. She wondered at the paleness of his skin, he was much too fair for an inhabitant of Miami. She shrugged thinking about his dress shirts and jackets. She remained fascinated by the discolouration of his skin from the bruising. She had never seen a bruise go so green! His freckles were still visible against the grotesque shades of purple and green. She felt his abdominal muscles, tauten as her fingers roamed to a new area, and relax as the balm soothed his pain away. Marisol couldn't help but peek further up his shirt, she noticed that he had freckles sprinkled all over. She wondered what it would be like to kiss every one of them and whether she'd ever get to do that. Marisol stopped after ten minutes just as she had promised.

"That was wonderful. Thank-you." said Horatio pulling his shirt down as he struggled a little to sit up.

Marisol sat back on her heels, "You're welcome." She said. She noticed Madison from the corner of her eye and waved her over, then patted the rug, motioning for Madison to come sit next to her. Madison dumped her bag and came to sit next to Marisol.

"All set young lady?" asked Horatio. Madison nodded.

"Shall we make a move?" asked Horatio, this time looking at Marisol. He offered a hand to both Madison and Marisol and pulled the both of them up from the rug.

Madison chatted in the car, drawing smiles from both adults. A quarter of an hour later, they pulled up to Madison's home. Madison asked Marisol to come up and meet her mother, Marisol felt touched and hoped she had made friends with Madison. Marisol was further pleasantly surprised when Susie Barnum opened the door.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Madison dropping her bag near the door and running into Susie's arms. Susie scooped her up and kissed her.

"Hi Darling. Hello Horatio. Thanks so much. Oh! Hello Miss. Delektorsky. What a surprise." said Susie recognising Marisol.

"You ladies know each other?" asked Horatio.

"Hello Ms. Barnum. Yes, Ms. Barnum is the Agramonte rep we're liaising with for Isabella's wedding. Isabella's getting them to cater for the wedding." said Marisol, shaking Susie's hand.

Susie nodded at Marisol's explanation, "Won't you guys come in?" asked Susie, stepping away from the doorway and shifting Madison in her arms.

"That's ok Susie. We should get going."

"Ok then. Thanks so much for having her Horatio."

"No problem. It was a pleasure." said Horatio. He gave Madison a kiss, "Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodnight Uncle Horatio. Goodnight Marisol." said Madison snuggling into her mother's neck.

"Goodnight Madison, it was lovely to meet you. Goodnight Ms. Barnum." said Marisol stepping out of the door. Madison smiled at Marisol, who smiled back.

"Goodnight Ms. Delektorsky, Horatio." said Susie.

"I'll give you a call later ok?" said Horatio. Susie nodded, "You take care now."

"You too Horatio." said Susie as she gently shut the door.

After she shut the door, Madison launched into a commentary about her weekend as her mother got her ready for bed.

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"What an extraordinary coincidence." remarked Horatio as he and Marisol descended the steps back down to the car.

"Yeah, what a coincidence." replied Marisol.

The conversation during the drive to Marisol's mainly focused on Madison and how Horatio thought she had taken to Marisol. Marisol told him how she and Isabella had met Susie. Marisol also told him that she had left the balm on his coffee table for him to use. He thanked her again and their conversation moved to the topic of balms.

Horatio walked Marisol up to her door as was his habit even though she insisted he didn't need to. He waited until she had opened her door and switched on the hallway light. She invited him in, but he politely declined. He hung his arm against the doorframe and looked down into her eyes, his hand brushing away some stray strands from her face.

"You know you called me 'darling' today." He said.

"I did?" asked Marisol playfully.

"Yes, you did." He said lowering his voice as she stepped closer towards him.

"Well you have every reason to be called that. You are a darling." said Marisol reaching up and running her hand through his hair.

Horatio smiled a school boy smile and kissed her. It was a short kiss, Marisol was disappointed that he hadn't deepened it but she didn't feel gutsy enough to kiss him again not with what she had to say to him next.

"So can I take you out to dinner tomorrow? Casa tua?" asked Horatio, his hand cupping her chin. Marisol dropped her gaze to the floor as she hesitated over her answer. "What's the matter? You know I'd understand if you can't make it." he inquired gently.

"Horatio, I'm going to New York tomorrow, to stay with my sister for a couple of days." said Marisol quickly, her eyes rising to meet his, her expression guarded, "It's a spur of the moment thing. I meant to tell you yesterday, but…but I just kept putting it off when you told me what happened. I'm sorry." She said as she saw something in his blue eyes appear and disappear in an instant.

"That's ok. When will you get back?" he asked.

"Hopefully by the weekend," she said trying hard to sound cheerful.

Horatio's hands moved to his pockets, looking for his sunglasses which would help keep his hands occupied. His gaze shifted to the floor for a moment when his hands clutched at air and loose change. He didn't want to keep anything more from her and decided to share what he felt. "I'll miss you." He whispered, pulling her tightly against him, she shifted awkwardly in his arms, not wanting to further physically hurt him. He ignored the slight pain building up on his side, wanting to take in enough of her to last him a whole week, but he knew it was impossible.

"I'll miss you too." she said against his shoulder.

Horatio soon pulled himself together and slowly let go of her. "Well then…" he said, clearing his throat, "Take care and speak to you soon. All right?"

"You too Horatio. You too. Good night then." She said kissing him on his cheek as he turned to leave.

"Goodnight sweetheart." He said before he left.

Horatio felt hollow all the way home. This feeling of hollowness did not subside. When he got home, he threw himself into examining the cases he was working on and didn't crawl into bed until well into the early hours of the morning. But just as he had woken up thinking of Marisol, he lay in bed thinking of her once again, unable to fall asleep. His gut told him that she was still shy about the physical intimacy of their relationship. Each time she was in his arms, he could never quite be sure of what to expect. There were times when her body responded immediately to his caresses and his kisses, while at other times like today, he had felt the hesitative tension in every part of her body when he had taken her into his arms. It surprised him, especially after her actions the previous evening. He couldn't quite figure out where to draw the line: Perhaps it was because Madison had been around or because she knew she had to tell him she wouldn't be able to see him this coming week. Either way, Horatio decided he would give her control of laying the physical boundaries of their relationship. He wasn't anxious to rush things, he enjoyed the intimacy that they had now, even if it was unpredictable. He could only second-guess about what she wanted from the physical connection they shared. His needs and desires would always come second to hers. Sex had never been that big a part of his life after his divorce. His divorce…it brought back bitter, angry memories that he had tried hard to forget. It was horrific to think that the mind held onto pain just as much as it held onto happiness. Of course pain makes us grow, change, improve, he thought, isn't that what it had done for him? But we can never let it go, never let it go. Horatio's thoughts turned away from pain, he wasn't in the mood for profound thinking. His restless mind jumped from topic to topic: the meetings he had to have tomorrow and the leads he should check up on. He soon fell into a restless sleep – his old nightmares making an unwelcome appearance once again after a long absence.

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Marisol closed the door after he left and felt a tear roll down her face. She couldn't bear to hurt him, and yet that was exactly what she was doing, or would be doing. She remembered the flash she had seen in his eyes and felt physically sick. She wasn't going to see her sister tomorrow. She was full of conflict, on the one hand, she needed his strength, and she knew he would gladly give it to her. On the other hand, she didn't want to expose her weaknesses to others before she had learned to deal with them herself in some way or another. She sat with her photo album for a long time that night in the silence of her living room, wishing she had more pictures of him to comfort her frustrated mind. Marisol struggled to fall asleep that night. She tried counting backwards, counting sheep, remembering abstract accounting concepts, keeping her mind blank, but nothing worked. Her mind had tired itself out by the early hours of the morning allowing her to fall into an interrupted sleep punctuated with images of tears and freckles.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Thank-you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. This chapter may be a bit disturbing and extreme but I hope you're not too put off by it. Any comments/problems you have with the chapter- let me know. Sorry about any grammatical errors you may come across. Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: All CSI:M characters belong to their owners; CBS, Jerry Bruckheimer et. al. BUT Isabella and Christian and any characters you don't recognise on the show do belong to me.

Giving in

"Morning Marisol! Hey, where are the kids and Blanca?" asked Isabella as she flounced into Marisol's room.

Marisol zipped the duffel bag up, put the clipboard on it and gave Isabella a weak smile, "We were trying to call you. Eric took them this morning. He and Blanca wanted to talk…" Marisol rolled her eyes, "Don't think it's about me though, I've been pretty good. Besides he said something about how being late one more day wasn't going to make a difference on his record right now. Really, I worry about him sometimes, I think he's even committing to this Boa Vista lady, ugh, shudder the thought! My little brother…Oh lets get out of here."

"Oh Marisol, you do worry. Leave Eric alone, poor boy!" laughed Isabella. "You're sure you're fine?" asked Isabella trying to pull the bag out of Marisol's hands.

"I'm pumped up on meds, why shouldn't I be." answered Marisol sarcastically. "Bella, I'm not crippled." said Marisol yanking the bag from Isabella.

"Oh with an answer like that, I know you're fine." replied Isabella easily. She shrugged and followed Marisol out of the ward. "I'm sorry it had to be today, there just wasn't another day to arrange it."

Marisol put her arm around Isabella and hugged her, "That's okay. I'm just glad to finally get out of here. Besides you're lucky Rowlerson gave you the day off at all. With him being ticked off at you for taking his leave time and all."

"Idiot that he is, he can't exactly begrudge me a day off. Besides, it's not too busy at the moment. There are a couple of meetings next week so better to get it done this week. And since when do you use 'ticked off' madam?" asked Isabella,

"You do realize we swear way too much Bella. I…I've had to look for alternative words to say for this... otherwise you know Sister Garcia would have had my ass…Oops there I go again."

"Thank-god you're getting out of here, this place is going to do you in." muttered Isabella as she steered Marisol towards the exit.

Marisol stopped as they reached the front desk, "Oh Isabella I'm so excited!"

"Me too! Me too! It's like amazing, I can't believe how soon it is." said Isabella who looked like she could jump up and down. "Christian's getting..."

Isabella was cut off by Marisol who had directed her attention somewhere else, "Thank-you Sister Garcia. Give my best to the rest of the Sisters too, if you don't mind that is." said Marisol handing over the clipboard with the discharge forms to the nurse.

"Ms. Delektorsky," gushed Sister Garcia, reaching over to shake their hands, "I will do that, you take care now. And don't forget to…" Sister Garcia crossed herself and looked sternly at Marisol over her glasses.

"Yes ma'am." replied Marisol waving as she left the desk and walked with Isabella towards the exit. Isabella gave a small wave too.

"Sorry, you were saying?" asked Marisol as she walked out into the open air, leaving behind that hospital smell that she had gotten oh, so used to. She took a deep breath in and grinned at Isabella.

"Yeah, Christian and Barry, their waistcoats haven't come yet. I really gave 'Wedding Bliss' a piece of my mind last night when Barbara called me up and said that only the dresses, shirts and jackets had arrived. I mean Christ! The big day is only 6weeks away, and I gave them the order ages ago! By the way, does she still give you the usual lecture?" asked Isabella jerking her thumb back to the diminishing Sister Garcia.

"Pray, pray, pray. Yes, I got it this time too. You know you should get that lecture from her, you are way more of a heathen than I am."

"The joys of being Protestant." commented Isabella. She opened the car and popped the boot. Marisol dumped the duffel into the boot and then settled herself into the passenger seat next to Isabella. "You really do look like hell," said Isabella as she revved the car and pulled out of the parking space.

"So much for stating the obvious Genius." muttered Marisol, rolling her eyes. She began to examine herself in the side-view mirror.

"I do try." laughed Isabella. Isabella glanced at Marisol briefly. She knew Marisol too well. How could it be possible to be so excited and sad today? She had gone every day to the ward to see Marisol. When Marisol had told her the news on Tuesday, she had gone home every evening thereafter and cried in Christian's arms. It was more than heart-breaking to see someone so lovely and wonderful be destroyed and not be able to do anything for them. To merely have words to touch their hearts and comfort them, never seemed enough. It all seemed so wrong. Isabella could only guess that Marisol was putting on a brave face as their conversation moved away from anything that could touch on her cancer. There was no point in talking about it, there was nothing to do now but wait and yes, pray. And it all comes back full circle thought Isabella to herself, sighing gently as she maneuvered her way through the traffic.

There was silence for a while during which Marisol used some make up, that she had sneaked out of Bella's purse, to hide her paleness. Her thoughts drifted back to Horatio. He had been in her mind all the time, there were times when she could have sworn she saw him standing next to her, holding her hand, but then she accredited these to the hallucinogens she had been taking. Just seeing Eric reminded her of him but she hadn't asked about him, knowing Eric would tell her if anything was wrong with him. She was pretty sure Eric had told Blanca about Horatio because Blanca kept shooting her these disapproving looks from time to time. Although she had her nieces and nephews for company and they had kept her amused and entertained while she was in pain, Marisol often had this distant look in her eyes.

The women continued to discuss wedding plans that mainly focused on where to accommodate the various relatives that would be attending the wedding. Isabella parked on a side street close to the Agramonte. She and Marisol got out of the car and walked towards the entrance, the doorman doffed his hat in acknowledgment as they passed him. Isabella walked up to the reception, "Ms. Sorenson and Ms. Delektorsky here to see Ms. Barnham please." said Isabella to the receptionist.

"Certainly Ma'am." replied the Receptionist courteously, picking up the receiver and punching in some numbers. After speaking quietly into the receiver, he put the phone down and told Isabella that Susie Barnham would be down shortly.

Isabella moved to stand near Marisol, "Oh no! I recognize that smile, what about Horatio?" asked Isabella, with an air of mock resignation.

Marisol just continued to grin foolishly at Isabella, "It totally slipped my mind but Ms. Barnham…uh Susie…I mean Ms. Barnham is related to Horatio. His sister-in-law, I think. Her daughter is his niece. I met them." Marisol still had a smile on her face as she thought back to the Sunday she had spent with them.

"I thought he only had a brother?" asked Isabella. Marisol shrugged her shoulders. Isabella just rolled her eyes, "Marisol, my dear girl…" began Isabella imitating Sr. Garcia's earlier tone, "You know when people see each other, as in – romantically get involved with each other, getting to know each other is a very desirable thing and is generally how it goes, unless it's solely based on sex?" finished Isabella a bit too innocently.

Marisol swatted Isabella's arm quite hard really, "Ouch!" exclaimed Isabella.

Marisol shot daggers at Isabella, "Serves you right Bella. Of course we know each other! He's just not too comfortable talking about his family. I really don't want to pry. I mean I'm not trying to raise an inquisition, am I Bella?" asked Marisol, raising her eyebrows and shrugging slightly, "Whenever he wants to talk about it, is fine with me. I'm not pushing him. Besides from what Eric's told me, I think he's had it pretty hard when it comes to family."

"So you don't deny the charge that it's based on sex?" asked Isabella again. Silence. Her well deserved reward – another whack from a furiously blushing Marisol.

"Bella your mind is constantly in the gutter!" sputtered Marisol as a comeback.

Susie then appeared, "Good Morning Ladies."

"Morning Ms. Barnham," they both chirped happily shaking hands.

"Are you all right Ms. Delektorsky, you look a bit flushed?" asked Susie.

Bella nudged Marisol and burst out laughing. Susie looked on, puzzled, "No I'm fine thanks. Ignore Isabella. I don't quite know what's gotten into her. Shall we?" asked Marisol calmly, taking charge of the situation.

Susie just looked politely puzzled.

The three ladies took the elevator to the administrative offices. Susie ushered her clients to the chairs at the front of the desk and then moved to sit behind the desk when she tripped. She grabbed the edge of the desk to steady herself, "Madison! What did I tell you about putting your toys all over. Come on Darling, I'm at work for just a bit longer. All right?"

Marisol jumped up, out of her chair too see where Madison was, when she heard Susie. "Hi Madison." Marisol called out, peeping around the desk trying to glance at the little girl. Isabella looked at her best friend in surprise. Sure Marisol was great with her own nieces and nephews but she was never that friendly with other people's children. Isabella continued to stare wondering what on earth was going on in Marisol's head now. She smiled politely and nodded in understanding as Susie apologized for having Madison there. Madison stood up, her face blotchy and tearstained, to see who had said hello to her.

"Miss Marisol." exclaimed the little girl, a smile breaking out onto her previously sulky face. "How do you do?" asked Madison.

"I'm fine thanks, how are you? This is my friend Isabella." said Marisol gesturing to Isabella.

Bella didn't know how to react, should she get up? Should she shake hands with a six-year old? Should she just nod and smile? "Hello there." was all she managed to muster up.

Madison just gave a shy smile in return, "Hello Ma'am."

Isabella couldn't help but smile; this was definitely Horatio Caine's niece.

"How's that party coming along?" asked Marisol cheerfully, sitting back down, a friendly smile on her face.

Susie cleared her throat knowingly, "Ahem…we just had a little tantrum about that just now." finished Susie delicately. Madison's lips tightened into a thin line. Susie sighed, and brushed away the tear marks on her daughter's face, "Madison, I'll take you the park after this, ok Darling? Just let me finish this." Madison gave a small nod and kissed her mother's arm before retreating behind the desk again to play with her toys.

Susie opened her drawer and took out a folder. She opened it and took out various samples and pictures of the ideas and plans that Isabella had thrown to her over the phone. Unsurprisingly, it was a lengthy session and Marisol began to feel claustrophobic and restless. She steeled herself mentally and tried to be as active as possible. She joined forces with Susie to convince Isabella not to go too overboard with the variety of food she wanted. After some lively discussion and two hours later they had more or less decided on the hors d'oeuvres, starters and the main course. Marisol stretched out, Isabella noticed her growing restlessness.

"Everything okay Mari?" she asked quickly.

Susie just gave a puzzled look, but was too professional to inquire, "Would you like something to drink Ms. Delektorsky? Water, coffee, tea? Ms. Sorenson?"

"No thanks. I'm fine, just give me a couple of minutes. Do you mind if I open the window a bit more?" asked Marisol.

"No, no, please feel free to do so. I don't realize how stuffy it can get in here sometimes." smiled Susie, Marisol smiled back having warmed to the younger lady immensely.

"Thanks." said Marisol getting up and patting Isabella's hand to reassure her. She stood by the window for a few moments but there was no whisper of a breeze about in the still Miami air. Her attention began to wander. She remembered Madison was here and was surprised the little girl was able to remain so quiet. Few children managed to sit still for more than a minute, plus there was always their favorite question, 'Why?', Marisol peeked behind Susie's desk. Madison was perched on a small ledge completely absorbed in her coloring, humming softly to herself. The little girl seemed lonely. Marisol couldn't imagine not having siblings. Even though Isabella was an only child, Marisol's parents had always made her feel a part of the family when she was around them. It had always been such fun and such tears and fights! Marisol shook her head slightly in fond remembrance. Unfortunately, Susie's open window was doing nothing to alleviate the oppressiveness Marisol felt. "Ms. Barnham?"

Isabella stopped mid-sentence and looked at Marisol with mild annoyance as Susie answered.

"Would you mind if I took Madison for a walk? I really need a bit of fresh air, and it will give you some more time to work with Bella over the desserts." said Marisol.

Susie hesitated, "I really don't want to impose on you Ms. Delektorsky. It's all right. I can take Madison later." It wasn't that she didn't trust Marisol. If Horatio trusted Marisol then that was good enough for Susie. Horatio had told her, quite frankly when he had called her to catch up on things, that they had been seeing each other quite regularly now. Susie had noticed the subtle changes Marisol had wrought in Horatio too, and was happy for him. She didn't want Marisol to feel obligated to spend time with Madison just because she was seeing Horatio.

"I really don't mind Ms. Barnham. I'd love to have Madison for company." Marisol really turned on the charm by flashing Susie her brightest smile. Isabella just looked perplexed.

"You're sure you don't mind?" asked Susie still hesitant.

"Not at all. I'll take good care of her. I promise."

"Please Mommy?" chimed Madison who now stood beside Marisol.

"All right then. Madison will show you where the playground is." said Susie, who wanted to get back to Isabella. Susie could feel the other woman's impatience mounting.

"Thank-you Mommy." said Madison, kissing her on the cheek before leaving. Marisol gave them both a small wave before closing the door to Susie's office.

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"Thank-you Miss Marisol." said Madison shyly.

"Madison! You can call everyone else you know 'Miss' but you must really stop calling me 'Miss', Deal?"

"I'll try." responded Madison bravely, her eyes trained on the floor, as she tried to copy Marisol's pace. Marisol noticed and took smaller steps. They remained silent until after they had stepped out of the plush Agramonte, when Marisol broke the silence,

"So Madison, where's the playground?"

Madison took Marisol's hand and pointed to the other side of the road, Marisol went along with Madison's sign language, "Okay, so we have to cross the road." They walked a little way and stopped at the zebra crossing. Madison clutched Marisol's hand tightly as they crossed. "Now where?" asked Marisol. Madison let go of Marisol's hand after they had crossed. She pointed her finger in the direction they should be going. "So have you had a chance to see the 'Return of Jafar' yet?" asked Marisol brightly trying to get Madison to talk and that was all it took.

Madison bobbed her head up and down and soon launched down the path of almost-no return with her comments on scenes that Marisol had to try very hard to remember as she responded to Madison's eager questions and thoughts. They reached the playground within minutes. It was situated along the Miami Marina Boulevard. The Boulevard had a long jutting pier at one end, and was littered with cafes and restaurants. The young and pretty of Miami pruned themselves on the beach front while the tourists occupied themselves in the little make-shift boutiques set up by aspiring artisans. The cafes and restaurants, a mixture of posh and casual were all filled. It wasn't hard to see which was which judging by the customers that sat outside them.

"Would you please push me on the swing Marisol?" called Madison, running up to a recently vacated swing seat.

"How about I show you how to push yourself?" asked Marisol sitting down on the swing next to Madison, and dumping her satchel on the ground. Madison clambered onto the seat and grabbed the ropes, looking expectantly at Marisol.

"Ok here we go then. You use your legs like this…" Marisol demonstrated but Madison was still too short to push herself off so Marisol pushed her off. She then got back on her own swing and began to show Madison how to keep the momentum going with her own legs. Madison was soon squealing with delight as she got the hang of it and tried to compete with Marisol in terms of seeing how high they could reach. A competition Marisol pretended to be serious about but really let the little girl win. They both continued to swing away but Marisol began to slow down when a sheen of sweat broke out on her body from her exertions of convincing Madison to go higher. Marisol glanced around her, letting the momentum of the swing take its course. The playground was relatively busy. There was a small group of mothers having a picnic, and some older kids fooling around with a football at the furthest end of the ground. The sand-box was the most popular and was filled to the brim with squabbling toddlers as they got in and out with their spades and buckets. Nothing filled her mind right now except the air and energy she felt in the playground and how it enveloped her and made her smile, allowing her to forget everything going on in her adult world.

Madison soon brought her mind back, "How do I stop now Marisol?"

Marisol laughed, "Just stop moving your legs and then you'll slow down and then stop."

Madison didn't look too convinced but followed Marisol's advice and found that she did indeed come to a stop after a while that is. "Isn't there a faster way to stop?" complained Madison.

"There is but it involves jumping and you have to be a little older for me to show you that because you could get hurt."

Madison shrugged, "Can I go on the climbing frame?" asked Madison as she got off the swing and looked expectantly at Marisol.

"Sure, whatever you want to do Madison." said Marisol her own swing coming to a complete stop now. Madison went running off to the climbing frame. "Madison, be careful will you?" called Marisol as she picked her satchel up, off the ground and sat down on a bench nearby. Madison gave her a happy smile as she scrambled over the ropes and slipped into the little jungle house attached. Marisol kept a watchful eye on Madison as she disappeared in and out of various holes within the structure. Marisol felt at ease but now the heat from the sun settled over her like a thick, unyielding blanket. Marisol felt her body starting to itch, as her pores opened up, in places that would not be appropriate to relieve in public, so she changed her seating position and stretched out her arms, in a subtle attempt to get rid of the annoying itching. Marisol remembered with some irritation that she had forgotten her sunglasses in her duffel bag. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail that comfortingly tickled the back of her neck and her shoulders. Madison seemed to have made friends with some other children and was now running about with them, her eyes bright, smears of dirt on her face and a grass stain on one knee. Madison waved at her, a grin on her face, Marisol smiled back and gave a wave. Marsiol leaned back against the bench and soaked up the sun that she had missed so much during her hospital stay. She continued to remain focused on Madison's activities.

Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and answered it, "Yup Bella?"

"Hi Marisol, we'll be done in half an hour. You guys might want to start making your way back now."

"Okay. See you in a while then." replied Marisol before hanging up. She looked around for Madison, "Hey Madison…Madison?" Marisol stood up looking around for the little girl. The shivers of having lost Madison immediately coursed through Marisol, Madison popped out of a hole, but it still took a while for them to disspiate. "Madison, Madison!" Marisol waved trying to get her attention.

Madison came running over, "Yes Marisol?"

"We're going to have go back now." said Marisol gently.

Madison looked back at her new friends, "Five more minutes please Marisol?" begged Madison. Marisol shook her head. "Can I say bye first?" asked Madison. Marisol smiled and nodded. Madison giggled and ran off.

As she ran back to Marisol, Marisol noticed Madison looked quite hot and flushed. As they exited the playground, Marisol asked, "Hey Madison how does an ice cream and hot-dog sound. I don't know about you but I'm starving and I'm hot."

"That would be nice. Thank-you." said Madison skipping alongside Marisol. "You know when I came out of hospital Mommy let me eat all the ice cream and pancakes I wanted."

"Really? Well aren't you a lucky thing. How come you were in hospital?" asked Marisol. She looked around for an ice-cream vendor. She spotted one on the other side of the boulevard. Taking Madison's hand as they crossed, Marisol listened in amazement to Madison's response,

"Well Mommy said I had to go to hospital because I was very sick. Mommy told me the name, but I don't remember now, it was something leu… there were lots of doctors, she and Uncle Horatio were very worried about me, especially when the doctors used to put me on this machine that had this long needle." Madison stretched her fingers to show how big it was and was pleased when Marisol gasped impressively. "But then I met my brother, Raymond, and he helped me get better." finished Madison.

Reaching the other side of the boulevard, Marisol dropped on one knee and hugged Madison impulsively, "Are you all right now?" Madison looked at Marisol strangely and nodded. Marisol had guessed leukemia and she was so impressed with Madison. Marisol got up and led Madison towards the ice-cream man.

"Mommy says we still have to see the doctor."

"Of course, of course." said Marisol, suddenly feeling very ashamed of herself. "So what flavor would you like Madison?"

Madison stood up on her tip-toes and looked at the various flavors displayed, "Can I have this one please? Is it chocolate?" Madison pointed to the rich brown ice-cream color.

"Yes that's chocolate." replied the Vendor.

"Cup or cone Madison?" asked Marisol.

"Cup please. Mommy says I'm not old enough to have a cone yet because I'd drop it everywhere." said Madison, matter-of-factly.

Marisol smiled thinking how honest and well-behaved Madison was. Marisol knew she had never obeyed her mother's ice-cream rules when she was younger. Well she hadn't obeyed many rules period. "Two chocolates. Both in cups please." said Marisol to the Vendor. The Vendor scooped out the ice-cream and Marisol paid for it. Then they both headed towards the hot-dog stall, eating their rapidly melting ice-creams.

"How about we get some for Mom and Isabella too?" asked Marisol still in shock that Madison had had leukemia. Madison nodded, busy trying to eat her ice-cream and not bump into anyone. Marisol was the one who bumped into someone which sent ice-cream all over her green t-shirt. Marisol groaned at the brown stains and mopped away the chocolate blobs. So much for ice-cream, thought Marisol, now glad that she had bought a cup instead of a cone. Madison stopped and stared, "Are you all right Marisol?" asked Madison, in a concerned tone that made her seem older.

"Good thing I bought a cup huh?" laughed Marisol. It had been her fault that the accident had happened, she hadn't really been watching where she was going. Her eyes shot up again remembering why the accident had happened in the first place. She stared and stared. It was one of those moments,

where everything stops,

everything comes crashing down...

Her mouth went dry and she felt terrified.

She wished she hadn't seen him,

she wished she hadn't paid so much attention to every little detail of him when she had been with him so as to recognize him at this precise moment,

she wished that she was dreaming – still in hospital,

she wished the blue fathomless depths that she could see even from here were not his….

she wished….

she wished her heart didn't feel like it was being splintered into fragments,

she wished she could live in ignorance,

she wished she could stop at least this pillar of her world from collapsing.

Madison tugged her hand, suddenly wondering why the smile on Marisol's face had been replaced with a frown.

"Marisol?" asked Madison.

Marisol snapped out of it and remembered the responsibilities she had right now which included Madison. "Uh….Uhm…Yeah Madison, let's get those hot dogs. I'm starving." Marisol said in an overly-friendly voice, trying to distract Madison. She didn't want Madison to see Horatio because the little girl would get excited and probably run over to him. She closed the last few steps between them and the hot-dog stall quickly. "Madison… Madison, tell me about your birthday party. How's that going?" she asked in a shaky voice as they waited for their turn to be served.

Madison started to talk about her friends and Marisol tried her best to make it seem like she was listening but her eyes kept shooting to Horatio. There was no doubt that it was him, who else wore their sunglasses around their neck in such a sexy fashion? It had been so easy, almost too easy to spot him in the crowded café, sitting there with a charming young brunette… who looked familiar...

Ah yes, it had been that day when Isabella and her were having coffee. While having coffee they noticed Horatio emerging from the Marina walkway situated opposite them with a companion – the brunette Horatio was sitting with now. Isabella and her watched them for a while, to Marisol she looked like someone involved in a case, the sad look in her eye and Horatio's friendly kiss on the cheek had made it seem like he was comforting her. Isabella on the other hand was immediately suspicious, but Marisol laughed at her. The situation just didn't feel like he was having a romantic rendez-vous with someone. Infact there after, she had called out to him and he had stopped by to say hello. At that time he still hadn't met Isabella because she was in the washroom when he said a quick hello and goodbye because he had to get back to work. Marisol really hadn't thought much about it. Isabella hadn't been happy about it.

Now Marisol wondered if perhaps she should have asked him about it. She didn't want to interfere with his work, besides Isabella was a bit overly-suspicious at times. But here he was today having…having champagne, Marisol guessed, with that same woman! Her chest tightened further and for a moment Marisol couldn't breathe as she continued to watch them. She tried to dampen down her reactions, to be more objective, to look away but she just couldn't. How sadistic, she thought, I want to keep watching my own demise. She knew that the details she was taking in now would be examined later within the loneliness and solitude of her own mind. His hair seemed blond rather than red today, she could see twinkling blue. He looked happy, playing with his plate and twitching his eyebrows upwards now and again. Well his companion was beautiful, she was dressed very smartly, her hair up in a chignon. Definitely a strong, career woman that Horatio admired. Words flowing from generous red lips continued to draw smiles from Horatio. Marisol was a safe distance away not to be noticed amongst the throng of people on the Boulevard. She finally looked away to clear the sharp pang of pain that shot through her when his companion clasped his hand

"Four hot-dogs please. Can you pack two of them please." said Marisol to the vendor. "Madison would you like mustard and ketchup, what about your Mom?"

"Comin' right up." said the Vendor.

"Mommy likes mustard and ketchup. Can I just have ketchup on mine please?"

The Vendor smiled at her and nodded. Marisol turned her attention to Madison, she couldn't, NO! she wouldn't think about this right now. She felt tumultuous, a hundred thoughts were running through her head causing chaos in her mind. The Vendor wrapped up the hot dogs and handed them over to Marisol.

"Thank-you." they both chorused. Marisol paid him and left, casting a last glance at Horatio. Gloom settled around her and for once Marisol didn't want to shake it off, she didn't have the strength to fight it, she just let it take over. Madison had finished her ice-cream and was now munching on her hot-dog, still chattering on about her birthday party. Marisol tried to smile now and again but she felt so confined, she wanted to stand and scream and scream because everything was not all right.

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Horatio laughed at the joke that he was just told and looked at the shining eyes across him. When she reached across the table for his hand he had been taken aback but he returned the squeeze he felt, accrediting it to the state of mind she was in now. He was so happy for her. After all she'd been through, she deserved this break.

As he laughed he felt something out of the ordinary occur, something just wasn't right. The back of his neck prickled. He looked around him but there was nothing specific he could discern in the crowd of the people. He looked around to see if any crime was occurring but no, everything seemed normal. Horatio peered harder at individual faces as the feeling continued to persist. He spotted a flash of green and the familiar toss of a head, he couldn't be sure from this distance, but his heart gave a flutter, a flutter that only Marisol's presence could invoke. He stared but lost the piece of green that caught his eye. Yet, his mind argued that it couldn't possibly be…she was still in New York. He'd been trying to call her but her cell was still out so he assumed she was still with her sister. She would have gotten in touch with him as soon as she got back, he was sure of it.

Horatio downed the rest of his champagne, and smiled at the brunette across him and then motioned to the waiter for the bill. He cocked his head and listened intently to her words, nodding here and there. After insisting that he pay the bill, he kissed the lovely brunette good-bye and promised to call her soon. During the walk to his car, his hand slipped into his pocket and played with the balm that he had been constantly carrying around with him like some sort of charm. He founds his hands, during the day, moving to his pockets more and more to play with it. Its reassuring weight, the way it rested in his pocket made him feel like he was carrying a piece of her with him all the time, its healing properties doing what she had been doing for him. He hadn't seen her for almost two weeks now. His pride refused to let him ask Eric when she was coming back. Somehow he didn't think Eric would be too forthcoming. The CSI had become more moody of late, the moodiness increased when Horatio asked why Eric had been late for 5 days in a row. The days had passed slowly.

He had missed her so much. That flutter….was his mind playing tricks on him because,

He so desperately needed to see her?

Laugh with her and feel his spirit rise?

Hold her in his arms?

Caress her lips?

Smell the vanilla in her hair?

Feel her lips on his skin?

Wander the hazel glades that were her eyes…

Perhaps, perhaps…that one word is all he found for an answer in his mind. His routine had basically been work, work, work, and work. He hadn't felt like doing anything else. Their inspection was coming up soon and Horatio needed to iron out the final details on the jurisdiction of some cases with the night supervisor. He had taken Madison and Susie out for dinner on the weekend, and yesterday he had tumbled into bed, exhausted from the 80-hour shift he had pulled.

Horatio reached his car and looked at his watch, the watch Marisol had given him the night they shared their first kiss. He didn't have to get back to the lab for another 30 minutes. He decided to drop in on Susie for a few moments, if she was in that was.

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"There you guys are." said Isabella as Marisol and Madison entered Susie's office.

"We brought you guys lunch! Hope you like hot-dogs." said Marisol brightly to Susie, handing her a wrapped hot-dog.

"Thank-you." said Susie taking the proffered item. She placed it on her desk and motioned to Madison to come over to her. She wiped a ketchup smear of Madison's chin and smiled at her, "Did you have fun sweetheart?" Madison nodded, "You wanna say thank-you to Ms. Delektorsky, Madison?"

"Thank-you Marisol." said Madison.

"You're most welcome Madison, it was a pleasure," said Marisol handing Isabella her hot-dog.

There was silence for a while. Isabella remained quiet studying Marisol: the superficiality of Marisol's cheeriness was blatantly obvious to Isabella. She didn't look any better than when she had left. Isabella turned her attention to the sheets she had been studying with Susie. She began explaining to Marisol what they'd agreed on.

"Mommy can Marisol come for my party?" whispered Madison secretly in her mother's ear.

"Well I don't know sweetheart, Ms. Delektorsky might be busy." said Susie looking across at Marisol who smiled.

"Her name is Marisol, Mommy!" said Madison indignantly.

Marisol laughed at this, "Please do call me Marisol."

"Marisol, would you like to come to my party next Sunday?" asked Madison eagerly looking at Marisol. Marisol looked away for a second, "Please?" cooed Madison, her eyes growing big, "Uncle Horatio will be there." offered Madison in a last attempt to convince Marisol.

Marisol's head snapped up at the mention of Horatio's name, her eyes bulged for a second. "Why thank-you Madison…uh….I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it." Her mind was already thinking probably not, especially as Horatio would be there. She tried to think of any plans she could make up, then she saw Madison's face fall, and it killed her to have to lie to the little girl. "But I will let you know, is that all right?" asked Marisol. Madison gave a small nod. "You're sure you don't mind Ms. Barnham?"

"Susie, please. No it would be lovely, it is Madison's day. You're more than welcome, as long as you don't mind having forty hyperactive children around you that is." said Susie with a chuckle. "Perhaps Ms. Sorenson would like to come along too?" said Susie feeling the awkwardness of the whole atmosphere that seemed to have set about the room.

"No thank-you, I'm afraid Marisol is much better with children than I am. Christian and I have to attend the church counseling service that day."

"Perhaps you'd like to come over for coffee and cake when you finish at the church?" suggested Susie.

Isabella looked at Marisol who refused to make eye contact with her. Left in the lurch, Isabella replied, "Uhm…Uh…Okay, that sounds fine then. Next Sunday it is then."

"Great." said Susie.

"We better make a move then. You still need to have lunch Ms. Barnham." said Isabella standing up, "Would you mind mailing me the figures we arrived at today? I'll just confirm the menu with Christian and I'll let you know. Is that okay?"

"Yes that can be arranged," Susie became very professional again as she stood up to shake their hands. "I look forward to hearing for the confirmation then."

"Definitnely. Well then, good-bye and I'll be in touch." said Isabella flashing what Susie felt was the warmest smile she had seen the woman give. "Good-bye Madison." said Isabella giving a little wave which Madison returned.

"Susie, a pleasure. I will let you know about Sunday." said Marisol. "Good-bye Madison."

"Thank-you Marisol for the hot-dog and the ice cream." called the little girl to Marisol just before Susie closed the door after them. Madison saw Marisol flash her a bright smile, and she hoped with all her heart that Marisol would come to her party, she was a nice grown-up, a fun grown-up friend!

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Susie shut the door behind the two women and let out a sigh of relief before sinking down into her chair. Madison climbed onto her lap, "Tired Mommy?" asked the little girl putting her head down on her mother's chest.

"A little, Darling, a little. Mommy has lots to do for Marisol's friend's wedding." Susie took her first bite out of the now cold hot-dog and chewed, closing her eyes for a moment. "So what did you and Marisol do at the playground?" asked Susie. She finished the rest of the hot-dog while listening to Madison. There was a knock at the door, "Come in." she called out.

"Susie?" Horatio called as he opened the door.

"Horatio!" exclaimed Susie, "Do come in." Susie stood up quickly and brushed the crumbs off her blouse.

"Uncle Horatio!" yelled Madison, running to Horatio.

Horatio picked her up, "How's my favorite niece?" he asked.

Madison giggled and kissed him on the cheek, "Fine."

"Could you keep an eye on her Horatio? I'm just going to pop into to the washroom. Won't be a moment."

"Sure, no worries there. Take your time." said Horatio setting Madison down.

Horatio sat down, Madison scrambled onto his lap and began playing with him, "So how's your day been Madison?"

Madison flashed him a crooked smile and let the words tumble out.

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"Wow, what was that?" asked Bella, expelling a long breath of air, "You went all broody hen on me, that has never happened before. Plus an invite to the kid's birthday?"

"So sue me, I like Madison." said Marisol flippantly, "You going to eat that?" she asked pointing to Isabella's still untouched hot-dog that Isabella was still carrying.

Isabella shook her head, "Uh no! some of us have a wedding dress to fit into, we're not all as lucky as you Marisol." Isabella handed Marisol the hot-dog and let out a giggle as they walked back to the car.

"Now what?" asked Marisol huffily.

"Your shirt, it's bloody hilarious!"

Marisol glanced ruefully down at her shirt and laughed too. "She's a really great kid. And Susie seems nice."

"Sure they do." said Isabella rolling her eyes. "Kids…" she grumbled on, "…just like men, can't live with them, can't live without them. In my mind at least. After seeing what Ekky went through, shudder to think what would happen to me if I had kids."

"Mhhh." was all Marisol said knowing all about Isabella's career focused life. If Isabella did have a child, she would find it hard to incorporate it into her life. Career focused women…her mind immediately shot back to Horatio and the brunette, he probably didn't want kids, but he was really good with them, that didn't make sense was the only conclusion her jumbled mind came up with. Personally, Marisol could never make up her mind about having children, not that it was an option right now. Her mind see-sawed between having them and not having them for different reasons at different times in her life.

"So silent Marisol?" asked Isabella.

"I'm hungry." offered Marisol as an excuse.

"Tell me another one Mari." grunted Isabella rudely.

Marisol flashed a genuine smile and hoped her eyes were shining in a bid to fool Isabella, "Just a bit tired, and excited."

They talked about the arrangements that had just been made. The nervousness and excitement for their next task began to build up to the point of having a fit of uncontrollabe giggling. After driving for an hour they finally reached the dress-makers. Both ladies practically ran in, full of excitement. Marisol was made to try hers on first. She went into the dressing room and a long while later, much to Bella's impatience, emerged in a lavender gown. Isabella clapped her hands excitedly, "Oh Mari, you look beautiful." said Isabella, practically dragging Marisol over to the full-length mirror, and making her stand on the stool in the centre. Marisol did her best to smile back brightly.

"I don't know how the old geezers will keep their hands off you. You look stunning!"

"Bella you're the bride, if anything you should be the one looking stunning." said Marisol disapprovingly.

"Hey! Christian is the only one I'm obliged to stun now. That's all that matters."

The head seamstress, Barbara had a more objective eye however. She and her assistants swooped onto Marisol, measuring, pinning and tucking. However Bella did not like the final effect and made them unpin and untuck everything much to their chagrin. While Isabella and Barbara went back to the design book and argued over certain things like hemlines Marisol took a closer look at herself in the mirror.

Marisol's spirits lifted, well whose wouldn't in a dress this beautiful. The loopy purple, provided a gentle contrast against the lavender of the gown, the embossed bead-work on the bodice was beautifully intricate. Marisol loved the whole feeling of newness the gown had from its satin feel on her skin to how it rustled against her ankles as she moved slightly.

She gasped slightly as she felt the seamstress pinch her waist and remark to Isabella that Marisol's loss of weight, meant the dress wasn't filling out properly. Marisol and Isabella both glanced at each other. Isabella insisted Marisol would fit perfectly into the dress by the time the wedding came around. The irritated seam-stress just shrugged her shoulders. Isabella took Marisol's hands, their eyes both shining, thrilled to share this moment with each other.

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When they finished at the dress-makers Isabella dropped Marisol home. She came upstairs and sat with Marisol for a while before leaving. Marisol checked her messages. The latest one was from Eric about coming over after his shift. There was a message from Michael, the manager at _Il Covo_, wishing her well and asking her to get in touch with him, other messages from the other businesses she kept accounts for. There was no message from Horatio. Her mind irrationally accepted this as more evidence that he wasn't interested in her anymore, instead of recalling that she had promised to call him when she got back from New York and that it would be stupid to leave a message when someone was obviously not there. But no, the mind is irrational, it perceives that which it wants to see, especially when it comes to people one has come to love.

Marisol managed to shoo Bella home by promising to spend tomorrow evening with her and Christian. After getting rid of Isabella, Marisol returned the various calls assuring the managers that she would resume her duties at the beginning of the next week. When she finished she felt the gloominess return, she succumbed to it just as she had done earlier. The overwhelming urge of smoking a joint smacked her in the face. Wouldn't it be awesome to get high just for the sake of getting high?

Just one last time…a voice whispered in her head, a voice she hadn't heard in a long time.

Marisol opened a drawer and took out the bag of rolled up joints. She threw it down onto the coffee table and then sat down on the sofa and looked at it. She lit up a couple of moments later and took a couple of puffs. She closed her eyes, leaned back and enjoyed the joint for what it was really was – a bit of fun. Through her self-induced haze she found her mind turning to Horatio. She began to take bigger puffs but the marijuana wasn't having the effect she hoped it would, she continued to relive this afternoon's scene over and over and it was driving her crazy. Halfway through she put it out and went for a shower. It felt so good to be back in her shower, the hot jets massaged a body sagging with frustration. After her shower she unpacked and put in a load of laundry. She had a new message from Eric saying that he'd be over a bit later because something had come up. She eventually found herself in her living room, her mind urged her to get outside - go for a walk, enjoy the evening but she felt too depressed to do so. Instead she compromised and stood outside on her tiny balcony for a little while gazing at nothing in particular. She curled up on the couch and flicked through the various channels but she wasn't in the mood for Spanish soaps. She looked at her bookshelf and went to the last resort - she picked out the book that always cheered her up and made her laugh, a book she never got tired of reading. Settling down with the book on a futon, she began to turn the pages, her eyes skimming over the words. She had finished the third chapter, which had yet to elicit a single smile from her, when the phone began to ring. Hoping it was and wasn't Horatio at the same time she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Mari, it's Blanca."

It was a very one-sided half hour conversation.

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Marisol put down the phone 30 minutes later. Damn it, damn it all! She felt numb and cold at the same time. She took out the bottle of vodka and knocked back three shots. The merciless stinging did nothing except cause a fever to flare in her throat. She poured another one and downed it and then carried the bottle back with her to the living room. She felt her knees go weak and she collapsed onto the floor sobbing.

It was the first time in ten days that she had the opportunity to be alone without anyone watching over her.

It was the first time she allowed the bleakness of her future to sweep over her and carry her away.

It was the first time she realized she was all alone now, even Horatio was cut off from her. He was no longer hers. She hadn't cried when the doctors had told her, she stayed strong putting on a smile and a casual manner to throw off her siblings and Isabella that all was not well in her own mind. She stayed strong for them…but now here, lying in a heap on her floor, Marisol could not stay strong for herself. She couldn't take it anymore. She cried and cried, the tears wouldn't stop, the anger was building – the outlet? A bottle being hurled to the other side of the room and shattering against a door, which door? Marisol didn't really care. She pulled herself into a seating position resting her back against the couch and continued to cry. They couldn't do this to her, it was her life, a life that was rapidly fading. But it didn't matter now, he was already gone, he could never be hers. Her limbs began to tremble as she sobbed harder and harder. There was nothing left to do, she was tired of fighting, of being the rebel. Her happy-go-lucky nature that had served her well throughout her life seemed so shallow now. It had left her with nothing save her memories that counted for naught at the moment, memories she now wished she hadn't made because they hurt so much. Everything seized up in Marisol, she couldn't breathe, she felt her heart hammer a hundred times faster in her chest, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead, her eyes remained unnervingly focused for someone who had just smoked marijuana and ingested 4 shots of alcohol. She was losing control. That's okay, her mind said, she hadn't lost control in a while. Doing something crazy now wouldn't change anything. She looked around for the bottle. She crawled to the mess and picked up a shard.

She crawled back to the sofa and remained seated on the floor.Her chest continued to heave from the sobbing and the tears were still leaking silently from big brown eyes. She fingered the shard and without hesitation she drew it over her wrist. She put the shard on the table and looked at her wrist. The red stripe blossomed to a crimson river but there was nothing else. Marisol hadn't felt a thing, the blood was flowing freely now but the most dispiriting thing was that she hadn't felt a thing…she may as well be dead.

She started to sob again and this time the anger was replaced by helplessness and resignation. She lost track of time but she didn't care, time was no longer hers anyway.

A knocking on the door made her get up, "Coming." She choked on her tears as she ran to the kitchen and ran water over the still flowing gash. She grabbed a cardigan that had been draped on a chair and opened the door.

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Horatio had been thrilled to hear from Madison that Marisol was back. He was initially disappointed that she hadn't called him yet but when Susie added that she had looked quite worn out, his disappointment gave way to concern. He decided to give her a surprise and was now driving to her apartment, a bouquet of flowers and an envelope he had picked up from Susie's office, in the passenger seat next to him. The afternoon had been a blur, he felt giddy with excitement and was impatient to get off his shift. They had solved three cases that afternoon, and all though he was glad to bring closure for the families involved, none of them gave him the pleasure he felt as he found himself driving to her apartment. While he drove Horatio thought back to his feelings. He was now sure that it had been her on the Boulevard. The 'perhaps' his mind had given as an answer came back to him. He wasn't in love with her…no, not yet, he was still experiencing the joy of falling in love and he didn't want it to end. He knew he was very taken with her. He certainly felt great affection for Marisol but he wasn't ready to call it love, not just yet at least. But they were getting there, they were getting there. He could only hope she felt the same. His heart had already been so disappointed when it came to love, he didn't want to add this relationship to his growing list. His gut told him that this time it was different.

He pulled into a parking space and noticed a light coming from her apartment. Glad that she was home he made his way to her apartment with the bouquet of marigolds and dahlias in one hand, the envelope in the other. He stood for a moment to catch his breath before knocking on the door. He heard a muffled response from inside and waited.

She opened the door and felt her heart stop, she felt panic "Hor…Horatio." came the faintest of whispers before she locked eyes with him. She was terrified, could she do this?

When she opened the door Horatio immediately registered the panic and that terror that flashed across her tear-stained face and for a moment he thought she was going to slam the door in his face.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait!!!

Disclaimer: All CSI:M characters that you do recognise here belong to Jerry Bruckheimer, CBS, et. al

Acting like an Adult

There was silence. Marisol's mouth opened to say something but when she realised nothing was coming out she pursed her lips together. She brought the door closer to her, narrowing Horatio's view of the interior that was lit only by the dying rays of the sunset coming through the curtains. She only had to push it a few more inches to shut it: shut the world away for a few more moments, shut him away and not listen to his heart-breaking good-bye, not have to hear her pathetic sounding self when she begged him not to leave her…. OH GOD, it was so hard! Why did it have to be so hard? Act like an adult, act like an adult, was the only coherent line her mind could come up with.

Horatio couldn't believe his eyes. No way could the tear-stained woman he was staring at really be the woman he had walked with on the beach,on that Sunday that suddenly seemed so long ago. Her face was ashen and Horatio didn't have to sweep his eyes along her form to know she had lost weight. Her hair was in disarray. The luminous green sparks in her hazel orbs no longer illuminated her eyes. It was her eyes….they held pain, anguish and more unnervingly – pandemonium. He wanted to reach out to her – hold her – make it all go away. More disturbing, was the thought that he was in some way to blame for her pain. What other reason could she have for not having spoken to him yet? Oh God, if he was the cause……..if anything had happened to her……... It seemed too painful to finish the thought. They were standing inches apart, but for practical reasons they may as well have been standing on different planets. He took a step closer, "Marisol. Are you ok?" Real slick Horatio, real slick, his mind commented sarcastically, does she look bloody ok, man?

His voice snapped Marisol out of her silence. She gulped slightly, "I….Horatio….I uh…I…" The phone rang. "I… I have to get that. Come in." Great Marisol, her mind said, being in hell isn't enough for you. You're walking up to introduce yourself to the devil, brilliant! She opened the door and let him in. Horatio stepped in and closed the door after himself. His eyes adjusted to the unusual dimness. There was an underlying smell of alcohol that pervaded the atmosphere of a room that he was normally so comfortable in. He watched her hunt around in the semi-darkness for the cordless phone. He would have suggested turning the light on, or would have even done it himself. He just didn't quite feel brave enough to do so. Listening to her cursing under her breath in Russian, or what he assumed to be Russian because it didn't sound familiar, made him feel very unsure of the boundaries of their relationship. He had never seen her so angry and anxious. It was strange considering he came across it everyday when he interviewed suspects and dealt with it accordingly. But with Marisol, a person so close and intimate to him, it was on another plane altogether.

She found the phone somewhere in the living room. "Hello." she said, trying to sound calm, even though she knew her heart rate was probably through the roof. No doubt Horatio gazing at her in the dark had something to do with it.

"Marishka?"came the slightly accented voice.

"Papa! How's the skiing?" she said cheerily.

"Not bad, less snow this year. The usual you know. How are you?"

"Fine." She answered back bitterly in Russian. Even though Horatio had no idea what she was saying, he would have had to be deaf not to pick up the change in her tone.

Mr. Delektorsky, or rather Mr. Delko smiled fondly. Although he had tried to make his children as American as possible and cherish their Cuban rather than Russian heritage, his youngest daughter Marisol, his Marishka, had been insistent on learning Russian from her father when she was a child. He had refused at first but her stubbornness and sweetness had won out in the end, and he had ended up teaching her to be literate in his native language. The rest of their conversation took place in Russian.

"Marishka…" he started pleadingly before continuing, "Blanca's been calling us regularly since she got there and we just finished speaking to Eric."

"Family conference without me? Now isn't that unusual?" her voice heavy with sarcasm. A small voice spoke up at the back of her mind, act like an adult Marisol, act like an adult! She realised she was standing in the dark now. She could barely make out Horatio's form. Now, also came the realisation that there was a puddle of alcohol somewhere in her living room. She moved to the kitchen in the dark, pulling a startled Horatio behind her. She had gripped his arm initially but he instinctively took her hand in his. Why was he making this so damn hard? She left him standing in the doorway as she flicked the switch. They both blinked as the bright light assaulted their eyes.

"Marisol, that's not fair." retorted her father.

"Since when has life been fair, Papa?"

"Marisol, what's gotten into you? Blanca said you've changed _again_. Maybe we should come? I can't believe he's done this to you. He's made you into a cynic."

"Papa leave him out of this. He has nothing to do with it. Why is it so hard to get? I'm happy with him. What I did with my treatment has nothing to do with him. Nothing. Eric should have told you…"

While Marisol continued her conversation with her father, Horatio put down the flowers and envelope on the table. His hands unhooked the sunglasses that had been hanging around his neck. He stood back against the counter and let the CSI in him take over; observe and then analyse. She was dressed in faded denim shorts and an equally faded grey t-shirt that seemed to hang off her bones. He was pretty sure that ten days ago the tee would have fitted her body perfectly – shaping the curves and contours of her upper body. Her hair which looked half damp and half dry was pulled up into a loose knot. Her hands kept running through it, yanking hair here and there, until eventually the knot gave way and fell around her shoulders. He noticed the way she stood slightly hunched over the table. There was something defeatist in her body posture but there was clearly defiance in her voice. The only thing that seemed out of place was the cardigan. He knew she had a very finely-tuned sense for fashion – making the plum cardigan look all the more wrong on her. He saw the dark stain appearing on one of the sleeves and hoped his eyes were playing tricks on him. Please don't let it be what I think it is, he silently begged. She began rummaging around the drawers, clanging and banging till he had uncomfortable reverberations in his ears. To his slight irritation, he saw all the noise had been made merely to find a pack of chewing gum. She took out a stick of gum and threw the packet at him. He deftly caught it with one hand and put it next to the envelope. Marisol who had appeared to be such an open/shut person when one first met her was clearly as enigmatic as they came. Right now she seemed so phantasmagorical! And it was driving him crazy! He wanted to touch her right now to make sure she was real – to make sure his sleep-deprived mind not playing tricks on him.

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"Papa, please, it's not long now. Please, just let me do what I want! I'm tired of fighting."

"He's there isn't he? Isn't he Marishka?" he asked, his tone softening after the mini-shouting match and three-way conversation he had conducted between himself, his wife, and his stubborn daughter.

"He is, but it doesn't matter now. It doesn't matter." she whispered the last bit to herself before adding. "I love you Papa."

Mr. Delko sighed, "I love you too Marishka." He knew she wanted to hang up now. He was irritated finding it hard to discern the line between parental concern and parental interference, even though he had been a father for 45 years now. Of course Marishka was his favourite girl! She always had been!

"I'll speak to you soon. Love you Marisol."

"Bye…Dulces Sueños Chiquita." came her mother's teary voice.

"Bye…Buenos Noches Mama." Marisol couldn't help but feel the wave of guilt that washed over her. No child should ever make their mother cry – no exceptions.

Horatio, lost in his own thoughts failed to notice that she had finished her conversation until the silence started to echo in his ears. Silence, now when had that happened? And what was happening to him? This loss of focus wasn't like him. He crossed over to the other side of the small kitchen that was partially hidden by the table. He found her crouching down, back up against a cupboard, eyes shut, arms hugging herself. His ears strained to catch the words mumbled under her breath but all he could make out was 'adult' and 'Doesn't matter'.

"Hey." he said, alerting her to his presence that she normally sensed so easily, but not so this time.

She opened her eyes, clearly startled almost like she'd forgotten he had been in the room. He saw fear streak through her eyes as she found her voice, "We have to talk."

"Sure." He offered her his hand to help her up. She first took it and then dropped it, preferring to help herself up, even though it seemed to tire her out. He remained confused. She went into the living room and switched on a lamp. Horatio saw the fragments of glass but said nothing. His gaze fell on the bag of marijuana. Marisol noticed.

"Going to arrest me?" she asked harshly, offering up her wrists to him.

Horatio had had enough, he enjoyed her vivacity and spontaneity but right now, his mind was tired of making leaps in the dark. He clasped her wrists and pulled her to him, "Marisol don't be silly. What's gotten into you?" He felt her momentarily crumple against him, his body automatically sagged to support her. It was such a natural reaction, but in this case, a reaction that elicited confusion for Marisol.

Her mind wondered if he was he this nice to all the women he broke up with. Her throat momentarily struggled with co-ordinating the air in order to speak. She took a step away from him. She crossed her arms against her chest. She felt the cut opening again as the skin around it strained from the force of crossing her arms. But she didn't care. Act like an adult, act like an adult, her mind chanted. A sudden burst of adrenaline and the words were out of her mouth, "Horatio you really deserve to be seeing someone stronger…someone more focused than I am. And I know…I know ten days is a long time. Believe, I should know that! Enough to fall in and out of love, in and out of a relationship…if you want to move on, then it's fine…I completely understand. In fact maybe it's best you leave after we say good-bye." A small choke escaped her. She pressed her hand to his mouth, and quickly withdrew her hand as if branded. She turned around; she couldn't bear to look in his eyes. She just couldn't. She knew she would be her own weakness if she did. Breathe woman! And act like an adult, act like an adult.

"Horatio you should leave now. Please don't make this awkward for Eric. Goodbye now." She closed her eyes and waited for him to say the words and then walk out of her life.

Horatio felt this moment to be a cruel trick that fate was playing on him. Time seemed to slow down as he heard the words from her lips. He watched her turn away from him and felt the earth drop from under his feet; He looked down at his feet to make sure his stomach hadn't suddenly dissociated itself from his body. Everything seemed to be spinning twenty times faster than it normally did. He didn't have any words. He stepped up to her and drew his arms around her, pressing his face against the back of her head. She struggled slightly, "Please don't make this harder Horatio, please."

He heard the sobs in between her words and held her tighter. This couldn't be happening to him! It wasn't fair. The happiness and warmth he yearned for in his life that had earlier seemed to be nearly within his grasp was now being forcibly wrenched from him. He felt the bitterness in his throat. No, he wouldn't…he wouldn't let go without a fight this time.

"Please give me another chance Marisol. I'll do it right this time, I promise."

"It's not you Horatio!" she exclaimed forcibly removing herself from his embrace, "It's me! Can't you see that I'm not good enough for you?"

"Sweetheart if anything I'm not good enough for you!"

"Don't say that Horatio…don't say it. You really don't need me as a burden. You deserve someone stronger."

"Marisol what are you talking about?" The sharpness of his words surprised himself but his patience and nerves were shot to pieces. "You're not a burden! I want to be with you. Why can't you see that? I think you're strong and perfectly capable."

"But I saw you…" she trailed off, taken aback by his tone. The tears finally spilled out.

"Saw me?" he asked gently, upset with himself for making her cry.

"Today, wh…when I was with Madison. You were holding hands with her… lu…lunch. I saw you….I know it was you." She mumbled, biting her lip down hard, "She was there when I was at coffee with Bella. I understand Horatio I really do. You two looked happy together."

Horatio groaned inwardly, he should have run after that fleeting piece of green that had caught his eye during lunch. "Marisol…." He cocked his head trying to make eye contact with her. Her head remained bowed, her chest heaving slightly. "Marisol, today I had lunch with Jennifer Wilson. I've known her since she was ten years old, when her parents were murdered. My partner in New York was involved with her mother and I…I've kept an eye on her ever since. She became involved in a case with my nemesis, Walter Resden earlier in the year. It's a long story." he sighed, "Marisol, lunch today was to celebrate her getting a top job with the UN. She has no family to properly celebrate this with. I can't help but feel responsible for her." He tilted her chin towards him, "Marisol, I promised I'd never hurt you. Sweetheart you mean so much to me, I don't think I could hurt you without hurting myself. Sweetheart…Marisol, Marisol."

This time she let him embrace her. She began to cry harder against him. The tears wouldn't stop. Every wrack and spasm she gave out cut him a little deeper. He ached knowing he had caused her so much misery. She seemed more fragile than ever in his arms. He felt her shiver and sob some more. His hands slipped under the cardigan and stroked her back, holding her tighter against him. He whispered gentle SSh's in her ear. He soon felt the skin under his shirt go damp as her tears seeped through.

"I'm s…ss…sorry Horatio. I'm such an idiot. I really don't deserve someone as patient and as loving as you."

His fingers pressed against her lips, silencing the explanations she felt she needed to give for her irrational behaviour. He refused to let her make excuses for her behaviour. It was his fault – he should have tried harder to get in touch with her, he should have swallowed his pride and asked Eric when Marisol was coming back. He felt so ashamed for causing her to feel like this, for almost destroying something so beautiful and loving that he had helped to create with her. They stood in her living room for minutes. Her guttural sobs quieted down to sniffling. He held her for as long as she wanted to be held. Horatio lost track of time, everything seemed to be warping anyway. When she did unclasp herself from him he was surprised to see her eyes full of sadness and still shining with tears threatening to break.

"What's the matter?" he asked. His hands came up to her cradle her face. His thumbs wiping away the sticky treads of her tears. He could feel her beginning to tremble again.

"I wasn't completely honest with you about New York." She bit on her lip again waiting for him to say something, anything. He remained silent, his eyes trained on her waiting for her to continue. "Horatio, I've been in hospital the past week and a half getting tests and stuff done. My sister, Blanca came down from New York with the kids. That's why Eric has been late; he's been coming to the ward constantly to see me…. It's not good." She stopped, unable to continue because of the emotion she saw in his eyes. He reached for her hand and squeezed it, "The cancer's spread to my spleen from the nodes. The doctors say I've only got a couple of more shots to get it before it spreads to my liver and once it gets there, there's nothing more they can do other than set a timeframe, and it…it isn't long."

He remained silent there was no need for words; his eyes, the turn of his mouth, his expression said it all, "Don't be sad Horatio. You're amazing; you could make someone very happy. You've made me very happy, thank-you. You can still say good-bye if you'd like, I'd understand." She said gently, sliding her hand slowly down his cheek.

"I'm not going to say good-bye Marisol. I don't think I could make anyone as happy as you've made me. Look at me, Marisol. You've changed me everyone's noticed it. My sister-in-law, even my brother all the way in Brazil." Oh no! There went Ray's cover. How had that come out? But Marisol hadn't seemed to notice his slip-up in mentioning his brother was still alive and not dead.

"Please don't stay because you…because you feel obliged or sorry for me. Please don't… I wouldn't be able to take it."

Horatio shook his head mutely. He could only imagine how nightmarish this had day had been for her. Going from bad to worse couldn't be more of an understatement. He just wanted to hold her now and whisper that everything was going to be all right, he didn't ever want to let her go. He was willing to lie to her just to make her happy….happy for as long as she wanted to be happy. It was only now that his mind acknowledged, after he had said the words, that she was vital to his well-being. He didn't think he could face living the rest of his days like he had lived this past week and a half! It had been nothing but aching loneliness in his 'happy' department. He was pulled out of thought by Marisol's voice, "There's more Horatio."

He raised an eyebrow. If she didn't need to sit down soon, he was certain that he would have to. He pressed his finger against her lips, finding little resistance from her, he felt his confidence return. He picked her up, carried her over to the couch and sat down next to her. "There's more?" he asked huskily.

She nodded, "It's just that my family don't quite approve of this….of us. That was my dad on the phone and Blanca's been playing out the role of big sister to perfection looking after me, reporting back to my parents about my condition while I was in hospital. After hearing about me skipping chemo, paying less attention to my treatment, meeting Vargas, you not coming to see me in hospital, the cancer spreading…" she gave a small, sad smile, "They seem to think you're the problem. If only they knew how wonderful you really are." Her fingers brushed across his lips and she felt him hold her a little closer to him, "How happy you make me. We…on the phone…basically we argued about you and me. They've spoken to Eric, and he backs them up because it seems your colleagues don't wholly approve of us either. It's an impression I got and Eric backs it up. Horatio…I…I feel lost, I know what I want but I never used to care so much what people thought and now suddenly I do, suddenly everything is just complicated. I don't want you to get into trouble for anything. So much pain to be caused in such little time."

"What do you want Marisol?" he asked quietly. She couldn't read his expression; her shadow was thrown across him, cloaking him in darkness.

"This…" she choked, her voice was filled with tremors, "I want us…I want to be with you because you make me happy. That's all I want."

"Then that's all that matters." he said with a tone of finality, "Sweetheart we're adults we can do whatever we want. It doesn't matter what others think, all that matters is what we know inside about ourselves. I don't want you to worry about that. We can do this Marisol." He felt her perk up a bit in his arms.

"Whatever we want?" she asked hopefully.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "Whatever we want." He echoed. Horatio was furious; he couldn't believe the people he worked with dared pass judgment on his private life. There was a reason it was private. On the other hand he had his suspicions that he was quickly becoming office gossip. He never really paid attention to it being a more avid believer in cold, hard facts. But he didn't want it to affect Marisol. He had the feeling Calleigh was one who disapproved because of the looks she kept giving him after she had seen them holding hands in the parking lot when Marisol had once come to see Eric. Occasionally there was a tension between them but it wasn't such a problem that it interfered with their work and Horatio had left it at that. But it was really none of her business.

"What do you want Horatio?" she asked laying her head against his chest.

"Exactly what you want." he replied.

He received a playful shove from her, she seemed happier now, he could feel her relaxing in his embrace, "That's not an answer Lieutenant."

"Yes, it is," he insisted, "You make me happy…I want an 'us' too." He smoothed back her hair away from her face.

Marisol smiled, just having him hold her made it seem like it was all going to be okay. She felt the fight returning to her. She buried herself further into him, linking her hands with his. They sat in silence for a few minutes, "I'm sorry about your shirt." she said shyly.

"Darn! And it was my favourite." he joked.

"I'm sorry." She kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm kidding Marisol. It's just a shirt." He nuzzled his face against her hair, "Hmm…you smell different…smell peppery."

Marisol let out a laugh. It was her first proper laugh and he felt everything around him brighten, his heart swelled. "I see why you're a CSI now. Yeah…Blanca is kind of obsessed with herbal stuff and I ran out of shampoo so I had to use hers. It's actually pepper and arnica." she said melodramatically.

"Hmm…not quite you."

"Don't I know it!" she laughed again and again Horatio felt his spirits rise with hers.

"I missed you so much." he whispered against her hair. He closed his eyes, and let his hands trail across her.

"I missed you too." She heard his heart beat a little harder.

Horatio's hands reached the sleeve of her cardigan. He folded it back gently and brought it to his lips. She tried to tug her hand away from him. He kissed it and tasted the drying blood. "What happened?" he asked softly, rubbing her cut gently across his cheek.

"An experiment…I mean you CSIs do it all the time right? I was doing a bleeding test. You know… time it takes for a cut to stop bleeding is indicative of your platelet count, intrinsic and extrinsic clotting mechanisms." She had rattled off the jargon as if known by heart

"Mhmm…bleeding tests are normally done using standard cut size. And yours sweetheart does not prescribe to the standard size."

"You CSIs really know everything huh?" she joked. She didn't hear an answering chuckle. She sighed and straightened herself against him. She brought her hand down and looked at it – it was still bleeding slightly. "Ok, you win, I can't lie to you anymore." She sighed again. He rested his chin on her shoulder and waited for her to continue. "When I got back from the hospital, Blanca gave me a lecture on the phone and I just felt so depressed…" she let out a heavy sigh, "I couldn't feel anything else. I just cut it to see if I could at least feel pain. Pain seemed better than the gloominess I was feeling and you know what Horatio…there was nothing…I didn't feel a thing… that was the saddest part of all…I had completely lost the ability to feel something as basic as pain. Nothing mattered. But now…now it does…it does matter. Also I can feel the pain now." This time she felt him smile and that made her smile.

"You're amazing, you know that." He said amusedly, "Just next time you want to do something like this again – call me. I'll come join you."

"I don't think I'll be doing this again Horatio." she said deadly serious. She leaned her head back against him, and discarded the now superfluous cardigan. Even though it wasn't cold, as soon as the cardigan came off she had gooseflesh rising. Horatio rubbed her arms gently to try and warm her up. They remained silent for a while, "Madison had leukaemia didn't she?"

Horatio froze, he swallowed hard a few times, wanting to tell her about it but unsure of how to begin. Marisol prompted him a few moments later. He gathered his courage and told her about Madison and how she came into his life. There were times when he stopped…unable to go because of the pain he felt knowing Madison was Ray's and how he had had to hide it from Yelina, the pain he had caused Yelina and how the idea of a child dying was what finally united them as a family, if an unwilling family at first. It was at times like this that Marisol rubbed her hand over his heart, loosening the tightening he felt when he paused. When he finished, Marisol kissed him softly and thanked him for telling her. He nodded, unable to speak but glad that he had told her.

"Oh, Madison asked me to give you something." He lifted Marisol off the couch and carried her to the kitchen, avoiding the broken glass on the way. He stood her down and handed her the envelope he had brought with him. It was a baby pink color and had her name drawn across it in red crayon. She opened it and smiled as she read the invitation to Madison's birthday party.

"She really hopes you'll come. She said I was to try and convince you as much as possible."

"She really has you wrapped around her little finger doesn't she?" asked Marisol, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Completely, and doesn't she know it! So will you come? With a 'please' from Madison and a 'pretty please' from me?" Horatio batted his eyelashes at her and caught hold of her waist drawing her close to him.

"Yes. I'd love to come." She said, slipping her arms around him and looking up into his beautiful eyes that were alive with fire and happiness as he heard her answer. Their lips met, his mouth felt so soft and sensuous as he claimed her in agonising slowness with his tongue. Their tongues continued to move slowly as they tasted each other after so long.

They were both breathing heavily when they broke apart. They pressed their heads together.

"How about breakfast tomorrow?" he asked, "Bright and early?"

She wrinkled her nose as images of 'bright and early' flashed through her mind, but being with Horatio was more important than sleep, she chuckled as she thought about it, "I'd love that, bright and early it is then." She remembered that Eric was supposed to be over in a while. "You should go Horatio. You need your beauty sleep."

He let out a hearty laugh at that, "My beauty sleep it is then…Ma'am if I didn't know you so well I'd say you were trying to get rid of me."

"You're just too brilliant a CSI!" she said smiling, she sagged slightly in his arms.

"What's wrong seriously? I can get lost if you want, really."

"Horatio, there's nowhere I'd rather have you be than here. But Eric should be over soon and I know we're going to fight. I just know it. I mean we love each other to bits but when we fight…we fight. What we'll talk about is just going to end up in a fight and I don't want you in the middle of it, ok?" She saw his dejected expression, "Hey, don't be sad."

He kissed her nose, "If you say so. So tomorrow say seven a.m?"

"You got it. I'll set all my alarm clocks and get Eric to call me to make sure I'm up. Boy! Seven a.m!"

"Sure you'll be ok?" he asked wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for the flowers." Her hands remained on his jacket, unwilling to let go of it.

He looked sheepish now, "You're welcome." He moved to the front door. He didn't know why but he suddenly felt awkward and shy around her, he stuttered "So…so we….we're ok then?"

She flashed him a huge grin and kissed him impulsively, "We're more than ok,"Horatio blushed crimson. Marisol giggled, "Goodnight Horatio."

"Goodnight Marisol."

She came out with him and stood against the iron railing to wave goodbye. She went back inside happy and cleaned up the mess she had caused.

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Horatio looked at the dashboard at noted with surprise that it was still early. He was feeling elated and happy and he didn't want to stop feeling like this. Apart from her impending death, everything they wanted to do and have they could. They couldn't have strings holding them back now, manipulating them – because being together had never felt so right. He pulled into the parking lot and noted with pleasure that Tripp was still here.

Horatio walked in and sat down on the stool next to Frank, who was having scotch.

"Francis." said Horatio, placing his sunglasses down on the counter. He motioned to the bartender to get him the same as Frank.

"Horatio." replied Frank jovially.

"Don't you have the kids this weekend?" asked Horatio as he made himself comfortable.

"Supposed to have them but they've gone to celebrate my mother-in-law's sixty-fifth, ya know. Someone left CSI on time and even a bit early today."

Horatio jerked his eyebrows up in amusement, "News travels fast." He raised his glass, "Cheers."

"Cheers. Actually I called CSI to ask you if you wanted to catch a burger tonight. But whaddya know? You were already gone. Thought you would have been doing the stupid paperwork to put the bastards, we caught today, away."

"Uh…I…I had to go see someone."

"Case related?" asked Frank,

"No." he said carefully.

"Marisol Delko?"

"Yeah…but how did you…maybe you should transfer to CSI, Frank."

Frank guffawed, "Everyone knows you're seeing Delko's sister. Hot gossip ya know but that aside the only time you're unsure about yourself in the lab is when she's around. Hell, I've seen it myself. Besides your shirt looks messed up." He offered suggestively.

Horatio ducked his head, with a sheepish smile, shook his head and took a sip.

"Now Horatio I don't mean to sound pushy or anything, but are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Horatio cocked his head to one side and briefly he closed his eyes, deciding to play dumb. He knew damn well what Frank was going to say next.

"Conflict of interest Horatio. Number one rule in the book. And you know the rules better than anyone."

Horatio sat silent for a moment, as it ran through his head. He remembered talking to Eric about conflict of interest and how a relationship with a person involved in a case could be perceived in the courtroom. Which is why they had to maintain a degree of impartiality. Where was that degree of impartiality when Marisol had offered to cook him dinner? Being silenced, that's what had happened. But still no ugly beast had reared its head when it came to his work and his relationship with her. "I don't think we have that problem. It's more complicated than that."

"Darn right it is. Horatio, it is conflict of interest whether you'd like to admit it or not. And with Delko messing up a couple of times, Ryan's eye, the lab under review, your leaky mole problem. Your connection with Marisol would just raise unnecessary questions. Heck, she could be called in for questioning."

"The evidence speaks for itself Frank. She can't be conflict of interest, she was never charged. She doesn't have much longer Frank."

Frank sighed, "Look man, I'm on your side, I'm just saying be careful."

"Now if I did that…that would take all the fun out of life. Besides I think you're missing your kids, no one to lecture."

Frank flashed him a grin, "Well parent talk over now! So tell me, how things goin' with her?" he raised the tumbler to his lips, took a sip and then said, "Hope she's not completely like Delko."

Horatio laughed and then let Frank grill him.

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Horatio got home a couple of hours later went for a shower and got into bed. He lay on his back, watching the shadows dance across the ceiling. He was feeling both happy and sad. He let his thoughts drift slowly and was disturbed by his cell-phone trilling loudly in the silence of his home. He reached for the phone, the thought of dispatch at the other end suddenly seemed very unappealing.

"Caine." he answered.

"Hi. It's me." answered Marisol softly.

"Hey." He rolled himself over on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. "Everything all right? Eric?"

"Yeah…we argued or rather spat venom each other. He just left, he's still mad but we'll be fine. Something's bothering me…"

"Do you want me to come over?" he asked sitting up in bed.

She laughed, "No Horatio that's ok. I just wanted to hear to your voice."

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Yep, relax Lieutenant, there's no bigger picture here. I just wanted to hear your voice and say goodnight. I really missed you."

"I missed you too."

There was silence, Horatio could just picture her biting her lip in bed. That must look so cute, he smiled at the image. He cleared his throat slightly, "Well, I guess I'll see you in a couple of hours then."

"Yeah, goodnight then Horatio."

"Goodnight Marisol. Hang on a sec will you."

"Huh?"

"Ok, you can hang up now if you like."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Well I just sent you a flying kiss." he said sheepishly, feeling the blush rise.

Marisol smiled and gave a short laugh, "Standard or first class?"

"First class."

"Well then, consider it received. Goodnight."

"Goodnight sweetheart."

He heard her hang-up and soon fell asleep for a few hours with a smile on his face.

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Author's note: Sorry if the spanish translations are bad, I'm not too good with the language. I'm not too sure about the facts on cancer affecting the spleen/liver but I do know that most tumorous cells travel via the lymphatics. I wanted to make this chapter quite teary but I don't think I quite got the desired effect. I hope you guys get the gist of the plot for the last two chapters, I must admit it's not the clearest/ strongest reasons I've given for the character reactions. I'm going to be travelling for a couple of days and I won't be able to post the new chapter until I get back. I haven't proof-read it as much as I'd like to have so please bear with me if there are more mistakes than usual. Please do leave a review, feel quite bummed out by this chapter and the slowness it took in putting it up. Thanks.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: This chapter may seem a bit superfluous but I hope it creates some build up to the forthcoming chapters. I wanted this chapter to be a bit relaxing for them both, and to have them interact when they're on a date. The words 'Katja' and 'Ekky' are just intimate forms of Ekaterina. The hate crime case Horatio refers to is Double Jeopardy (Episode 18, I think). Pardon any mistakes you may find and reviews, as always, are very welcome. Thanks to all those who have reviewed this piece of work so far!!!

Disclaimer: See the last 10 chapters...but here we go once more...the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer et al. But The 'Old Man and the Sea' does belong to me! also I'm sure CSI:M have more ballistics experts hidden away in the lab, so I'm just making their names up for the time being till we get shown more lab techs.

Favors

"Hey!" Marisol called out, walking into the compound as Horatio was getting out of the car.

"Morning to you too." replied Horatio taking off his sunglasses. He brought his hand up to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. He kissed her on the cheek when she got close enough. "Shall we?" he asked, crossing over to the passenger side and opening her door for her.

She flashed him a bright smile, "Sure." She lowered herself into the seat. He closed her door and crossed over to the driver's side.

He revved the engine and let it idle for a while. He stared at her.

"What?" she asked smiling.

"Nothing." he replied, a smile forming on his own lips.

"Don't be a spoilsport! C'mon do tell." She urged, tugging his jacket impatiently.

"Well…" he paused longer for effect, "I have to admit you look more awake than I thought you'd be."

"Well you did say bright and early." she retorted

"I guess I did. Still… the last time I woke you up, which was for the picnic you seemed pretty…"

"Pretty…."

"Pretty…uhm…uh…lost to the world still, until you had freshened up."

"Well actually I didn't sleep." Seeing his concerned look, she quickly added, "I did doze for a while. I was just really worried I'd oversleep even with six alarm clocks on. So I basically did a bit of spring-cleaning to pass time. Since the kids were here with Blanca, there were sheets and ironing to do, and oh I could go on and on and on….but I think I'll spare you."

Horatio laughed, "You went out quite early then."

"Yeah, thought that since I was up, I may as well catch the early mass." She sat up straight and gripped his arm, "Oh my God Horatio! You wouldn't believe the sister in charge of my ward, she was a nun and although she was holier than thou, she was still so un-nun like in some ways. Almost like Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean she's around sixty, you know old-school nun….dancing and stuff out of the question for them but not for her. She teaches some of orderlies how to dance. She's actually quite good. I guess you can take the person out of their Latin environment but you can't take the Latin out of the person. I mean there were some moves that had me blushing because of how inappropriate they seemed, but she just had a flair for doing them, didn't look inappropriate at all when she did them." Marisol blushed again just remembering it.

Horatio laughed seeing her blush.

"So how are your nieces and nephews?"

Marisol brushed away invisible grit from her dark jeans and fiddled with the hem of her blouse as she replied, "They're good, I guess. I mean Carmen was a darling. She made me a card and got me juggling balls with her saved up pocket money. The last time I saw her I promised I'd teach her to juggle. I did try but lets just say it's going to take a lot of work. They were all really sweet. I just…I just wasn't quite up to being the spontaneous aunt that I normally am with them, Eric took over that role."

"I'm sure they understood, especially the twins."

"Yeah, the boys…what can I say about them, they're definitely my blood. They drive Blanca up the wall because of all the mischief they get into, in and out of school." She grinned, "They should be my kids not hers. I think they compete to try and outdo each other. Although, as I'm sure my mother would confirm, they seem like angels compared to what I was like when I was fifteen."

"I'll take you on your word for that Marisol." said Horatio as swung the car into a small parking lot. He switched off the engine and got out. He went over to Marisol's side to find she had really gotten out.

"It's just a door Horatio. I'm sure I can manage."

"You never know." he smirked.

"Funny Horatio, real funny." She pushed him against the car and kissed him lightly.

He took her hand and led the way to their breakfast venue which turned out to be a quaint restaurant outside the Little Havana region, called the 'Old Man and the Sea.' The décor consisted of various sections taken off from boats. Huge bottle green glass globes wrapped with delicate hemp hung from the ceiling, adding to the dusky atmosphere. Oil paintings of the sea and contemplative elders hung from the walls.

"Where did you find this?" asked Marisol sitting down after being shown to a table for two.

"During my tourist days when I first arrived in Miami from New York. I like it here: Not too many tourists venture this way, the view of the bay is fantastic and always fresh," he gestured out of the open window they were sitting next to, "Makes me feel a part of Otis Redding's song, 'Sitting on the dock of the bay' only I wish I had his time to spare. I also learnt my basic Spanish from here. I don't know why but something about this place is just striking. I love coming here. By the way they do amazing seafood, but that's for another time." He winked over the menu he had picked up. Marisol smiled. She glanced at the breakfast menu, decided what she was having, closed the menu, and leaned back in her chair to enjoy the view of the bay.

"Marisol….Marisol." Horatio tapped her hand lightly to bring her out of her musings. She blinked a couple of times and looked at him questioningly. "What will you have?" he asked pointing discreetly at the waiter poised with his pen and pad, waiting for her response.

"Oh…erm…Sorry, I'll…I'll have the chunky pineapple yoghurt and eggs on toast please."

"Drink?" asked the waiter.

"Water please." she answered quickly.

"Sure. And you Sir?"

"Eggs on toast for me too, a side of bacon to go with that. And a pot of Arabica coffee too."

The waiter repeated their order. They thanked him and watched him leave.

"You learnt your basic Spanish from here?" asked Marisol

"Mhmm. I hadn't taken the language course at PD yet. The owner here is actually from Spain, he has Moorish ancestors and he would come and sit with me, jabber to me in Spanish and English about Miami and its problems. He's the one that also got me addicted to Arabica coffee. It's strong when you first try it but you soon get used to it."

Marisol yawned slightly. Horatio chuckled, "Bored of me already?"

"No. I was just thinking how amazing the Arabica sounded before remembering that I'm not allowed to have too much caffeine because they've changed some of my medicines….Caffeine only in small doses!" said Marisol, imitating her GP in the last phrase.

Horatio laughed at the sudden gruffness of her voice. They sat in silence for a while

"Eric?" he asked softly

"Little brother will always be little brother," she rolled her eyes, "He did call to wake me up though."

"It's a start." said Horatio comfortingly. "Your parents?" he asked gently.

"Don't worry about them. I'll win them around…eventually. Papa, I mean my dad is the easy one. It's my mom that's going to take the most effort. But hey why rush getting there?"

"Daddy's girl?" asked Horatio teasingly.

"Kind of." she replied shyly.

"What about Ekaterina?"

Marisol laughed, "Katja and Blanca are like two peas in a pod. I should get Ekky's lecture some time today by my reckoning but like everything the big sibs have told me…it goes in through one ear and comes out the other, I'm never any the wiser." She let out a small, sardonic laugh, "Anyway enough about the family. They're all alive and well and I guess that's all that matters. How's your week been?"

Horatio stretched in his seat, "Okay I guess. Just the normal hustle and bustle of crime in Miami. Had a case where the charges had to be changed, a father was left very much in distress. Sad to think that racism still runs riot in this day and age. Yep so as usual a lot of paperwork on that. The state's attorney's office had us working overtime to iron out every small detail so that there were no bumps. Open and shut case for the jury, all the evidence shows the guy to be guilty of hate crime while his current girlfriend was guilty of murdering his wife."

"Woah! Sounds intense."

"Yes it was. It once again proves the statistic that women are more likely of committing crimes than men."

"I guess we're more passionate." suggested Marisol, folding her arms across her.

"I guess that's debatable Sweetheart." he replied, reaching for her hand and kissing it till she felt shivers shoot up her spine. Horatio smiled as he felt the effect he had on her.

"Touché Lieutenant." conceded Marisol as her hand slowly left his lips. She waited a moment before asking, "There's something else bothering you isn't there?"

He sighed and let his thumb trace over her pale knuckles. "I just hope the case we file brings Mr. Bowman, the victim's father, some peace. He really loved his daughter. He seems a broken man now."

"Hey." She said softly, caressing his hand, "You do great things everyday. At least you're getting the person who did it."

"But it doesn't bring her back for him." he argued back sighing. Marisol saw his shoulders slump.

"We all learn to live without what we love, it's what makes us stronger. It's really hard at first, but we learn to go on, we must. It makes our love for that person stronger."

Horatio listened to her and swallowed the small lump forming in his throat. He couldn't help but make some connection between her words and their future.

"You look tired." she commented before taking another sip of water.

Horatio shifted his gaze and broke eye contact with her. "Uhm…Yes….I'm….I haven't been getting much sleep."

"The case?" she asked seeking his eyes out.

"Mhmm, amongst other things." He remained quiet, preferring to shoulder his dreams alone. Only one person knew about them and that was Ray because Ray had the same dreams about their parents as Horatio. The only difference – Ray didn't have the accompanying guilt that followed waking up in a cold sweat in the dead of the night.

Their breakfast arrived. Marisol spooned some of her yoghurt into her mouth and enjoyed the mix of flavours.

"Good?" asked Horatio pouring himself some coffee.

"Divine." replied Marisol spooning some into his unsuspecting mouth. "Oops!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening as he choked slightly.

"I wouldn't say divine, but different." commented Horatio after he got his breath back.

Marisol pouted, "Then you're not a true pineapple or vanilla fan." She stuck her nose in the air and pretended to be cross with him.

"Sweetheart, I have nothing against pineapple or vanilla, but honestly I prefer the smell of vanilla, like the one you use in your hair, rather than the taste of it."

Marisol blushed at his words. Her eyes darting to avoid his.

They both tucked into their breakfasts.

"So what are your plans?" asked Horatio.

"Oh I…I have to go and do the accounts for a couple of places. Think of what to get Madison for her birthday, catch some sun along the way. Have to sort a couple of bands out for Isabella. I'll probably see her later on. We may do this spa thing she's been harping on about. Oh and maybe do some shoplifting, buy some marijuana and try selling it…" she saw the alarmed expression in his eyes and laughed, "Just kidding Lieutenant! I'll be good, I promise." She rolled her eyes upwards and put on her best 'I'm a good girl' expression.

Horatio wiped his mouth with his napkin and laughed, "You almost got me there."

"I _did_ get you there Horatio." she corrected. After they finished eating, Marisol asked for some more water. "Can I ask you for a favour?"

"You want me to close my eyes?" he guessed.

She nodded shyly, an apologetic expression on her face, "I'm sorry."

He held up his hand, "Nothing to be sorry about at all." He closed his eyes and waited patiently. He couldn't help but feel that by doing this she was trying to protect both him and herself from acknowledging a shaky, cloudy future.

Marisol's hands were trembling as she took out the relevant tablets and swallowed them hastily. She reached across for his hand and squeezed it, "Thanks."

"Anytime." he responded. Both his hands clasped her hand. One hand traced out the lines in her palm while the other roamed across her fingers. He pressed her pressure points as he decided how to ask her what he was about to.

"You have nice cuticles too." she said after a while.

He looked at her in confusion, she giggled at him. "Why is it that all the women I've dated say that?"

"Because it's true, you do have nice cuticles, very healthy. Do you manicure?" She asked innocently.

Horatio put on his best 'I'm offended' expression, "No I do not Ms. Delektorsky."

"Just checking" she said smirking. "Question…"

"Question?" he repeated.

Her eyes held mischief as she watched him shift in his seat, "You want to ask me something. I can tell; you're not making eye contact and your lips keep curving up but no words are coming out. You want to go ahead."

Horatio blinked a couple of times surprised that she had gauged so much from his normally tightly controlled actions. "I…I uhm…I wanted to ask you for a favour."

"Anything." she replied confidently.

"I…I uh…I was wondering…uhm…I was wondering if you'd let me come with you to your next chemo session?" he held his breath expectantly. There was what only could be described as a pregnant pause.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"Yes or no. Fifty-fifty."

"Well if you're absolutely sure you want to, then I guess you can."

"Sure, it's ok with you?"

She smiled at him, "'Course it is. My next session is tomorrow."

His eyebrows jerked upwards, "Tomorrow? Sunday?"

She nodded. He dropped her hand. "Something the matter?" she asked.

"I can't quite make tomorrow because I have to leave town for a seminar tomorrow in Tallahassee. I'm driving there tonight."

"Aaaah, that would explain the sexy suit." said Marisol referring to the neatly pressed suit hanging from one of the hand-rests at the back of the car.

Horatio nodded, he took her hand again, "But I'm serious. I really want to be there for the next one."

Marisol was taken aback by the sincerity and seriousness of his tone. "I'll let you know when I know because they'll give me the schedule for my sessions for the following week after my treatment on Sunday."

"I'm sorry I can't make this one." he murmured.

She gave a short laugh, "Relax, it's no big deal. I'm just glad you're coming."

They both smiled at each other. Horatio got up moments later to pay the bill and have a few friendly words with some of the staff before steering Marisol gently out the door.

He looked at his watch, "How about a walk along the bay?" he asked.

"Sure you won't be late?"

"Hey, there's a reason I'm boss." he said confidently.

"Well I'm sure people will think of lots of reasons why you're suddenly late when you're normally the first one there."

"Hey, don't say that." He protested on behalf of his staff, even though he knew that what she was saying was pretty close to the truth. "Besides how do you know that I'm the first one there?"

"Lots of reasons." She said airily, letting the previous subject drop, "Gut feeling, Eric's comments about you, your punctual personality and lots of other reasons that I can't think of at the moment."

"Great instincts." He replied laughingly.

Marisol glanced around them and seeing that they were alone for the moment on the footpath grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him towards her for a heart-stopping kiss.

"Mhh…what was that for?" he asked when they broke apart.

"A thank-you for breakfast." She replied, running her fingers down the light green stripes on his shirt.

"You're welcome. Although I think I'm beginning to change my mind about the taste of vanilla." She smiled as he leaned in for another kiss tasting the sweetness at the edge of her lips. Her arms went around his neck as his arms held the railing on either side of her.

They broke apart as they heard footsteps running down the path towards them. They both cleared their throats nervously. Marisol tucked her hair behind her ears. They both smiled at each other as they stepped off the path to let the jogger past.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Marisol as Horatio accidentally bumped into her when they let another jogger past a few minutes later.

He gripped her arm quickly to stop her from losing her balance, "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Marisol pressed her hand to her side. "Ouch…Oh it's nothing. Isabella's wonder seamstress pinched me a little too hard yesterday when she was measuring me and basically told me to fatten up." She lifted her blouse slightly and showed him the slightly blue bruised area around her navel.

"Would you like your balm back?" he asked his hand slipping into his pocket and drawing out the small object.

Marisol's heart beat a little faster when she saw he had it with him at that moment. Marisol's hand closed around his and folded his fingers around the balm, "No it's yours to keep."

"Sure?"

"Yep. Anyway it's a small bruise should be gone by tomorrow." she said nonchalantly.

She stepped onto the grass and stood against the railing and looked out at the sparkling water as it rippled and lapped against the various boats that hadn't caught the early morning tide. He stood next to her and leant over the railing.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." she said slowly her eyes turning to meet his.

"Sweetheart, I really don't want you to worry about that."

"But I will. I hate doing things that make me look stupid. I just stress and worry over things like this and can't forget about it. I just can't believe I jumped to conclusions about your lunch. I must be getting paranoid with old age." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Hey. Stop being so hard on yourself."

"Look whose talking." replied Marisol rolling her eyes.

He grinned sheepishly, "Point taken." They stood together for a few more minutes, hands running over hands like ghostly whispers in the night; the lightest of touches to feel the intimacy.

"Do you want to head back now?" he asked softly.

She nodded her head. They headed back to the car.

"So where can I drop you off?" he asked politely.

"Erm…uh… can I come to the lab with you. I'll make my own way from there."

"Are you sure? I can drop you off wherever."

She laughed and shook her head, "Uhm… no I think one chauffeur is all a girl needs."

"Certainly Ma'am." he replied amused.

The conversation to the crimelab was mainly about Isabella and the wedding and how Horatio was trying to schedule everyone's shifts so that they could all attend the wedding at some point in the day because the wedding reception was supposed to run from the afternoon to the early hours of the evening but Horatio knew that a party on the scale that Christian and Isabella were having would not stick to that time frame also given that they were holding it at a private residence, it was bound to go on longer than that. There would still be cases to solve and work at. He was working together with the night supervisor to shorten shifts for that day. After all a balance needed to be set; they worked together to solve the death of one of their own when it occurred, but they all tried to celebrate together when something happy happened to one of their own too.

Horatio parked at the side of the lab on the side designated for staff.

"So what's your seminar about?" asked Marisol,

"New ballistic techniques. And then there's the finger printing seminar on Wednesday that Eric's going to be attending."

"Wow sounds fascinating," she added rolling her eyes.

"Actually it is. I mean my ballistics expert would explain how fascinating it is. The technology coming out these days is really helping us solve cases faster."

"Is she coming with you?" came her terse question.

He stepped up closer to her, glancing around him to make sure there wasn't anyone around, "If you mean Calleigh Duquesne, then yes but so is Maurice Ricci and Lana King our other ballistic experts from the day shift not to mention the night shift ballistics people too." He bent his head closer to her ear and said teasingly, "Jealous?"

"How can I not be?" she asked, "She's blond and bright, and bubbly and knows the world about ballistics plus she's…."

He decided to indulge her even though he thought the idea of him and Calleigh being together seemed ridiculous. Yes there was the odd flirtation but never anything more. He cut her off, "Plus she's not you Marisol." He cupped her chin and lifted her face slightly to look into her eyes. He kissed her on the nose, "You've nothing to worry about."

She blushed, "Oh no. I'm sorry. I'm like a loose cannon. There I go again." she said wryly, wrinkling her nose slightly, "I really don't know what's gotten into me."

He laughed and kissed her nose again pushing her gently against the car before taking her lips. She pushed him away half-heartedly, mumbling "Horatio you're at work."

"I'll live. I know we both get off on taking risks." He replied huskily against her lips.

"Horatio we're in public." she whispered furiously.

"I've seen far worse things done in public other than kiss." he said playfully.

She felt her cheeks getting hot and was angry with herself because yes she had been one of those couples and the fact that a kiss was making her uptight was unlike her. "Horatio…work." she mumbled between kisses.

"So you keep saying sweetheart." he replied kissing her again one last time harder this time.

They stood looking at each other until a gentle clearing of the throat from the side of them drew them out of each other. Both Calleigh and Eric were standing side by side looking at them as if they'd just found two truant teenagers. Marisol blushed as she pulled her hand away from his.

Horatio saw the mild disbelief and disapproval in Calleigh's expression. "Morning Calleigh, Eric."

"Morning Lieutenant." they both said formally.

"Hi." said Marisol nervously as she shook Calleigh's hand and smiled at Eric.

Just then Rick Stetler walked up to join them, "Horatio."

Horatio groaned inwardly, of all the people to come along now, it just had to be Stetler. Suddenly kissing Marisol in the parking lot didn't seem like such a good idea. Sometimes he hated rationality. He stifled a laugh thinking about what punishment IAB would give out for kissing in the parking lot.

Marisol was panicking now as she saw the newcomer approach. "Uh…I have to go…I really do. Bye." She pecked him on the cheek before grabbing Eric's arm and pulling him away from the group.

"Have fun?" he asked irritated.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

They both stared at each other, neither backing down, "Eric I don't lecture you about your life." she said quietly.

"Not anymore you don't, but I'm not the one dying of cancer. Besides what's the point in lecturing you when you don't listen anyway."

"Exactly, which is why I understand that you don't completely get why I'm doing the things I'm doing at the moment."

Eric shoved his hands in his pocket and looked down. Marisol shouldered her bag patiently. When he looked up his eyes had softened, "I do Marisol, I do. I just want you to get better."

Marisol smiled, "See we have the same goal in mind just different means to get there."

Eric laughed, "Okay number cruncher you win."

Marisol laughed with him and looked over his shoulder at the group that now just consisted of Horatio and the other man she hadn't recognised as he had walked up to them. She could see both their aggressive postures. Horatio, attitude and authority radiating from him was not quite paying attention to what the other guy was saying, standing with his hands on his hips, looking over his sunglasses in a rather disinterested manner. His jacket pushed back to reveal his badge and gun. His gun? Now where had that come from her mind wondered. He surely hadn't had it with him during breakfast? she would have felt it when he held her. He gave what seemed to be a parting shot and walked away. He smiled at her as he made his way towards the building. The other man just huffed angrily and went back to his car.

"Who was that?" she asked jerking her thumb.

Eric laughed, "The biggest IAB ass in the world – Sergeant Richard Stetler. He has it in for Horatio. They just don't get along. But then no one gets on with IAB. Then there's the added thorn that he dated Horatio's sister-in-law, you remember, Yelina. Well she showed up to work one day with a bruised face. Yeah don't think that sat too well with the LT."

"Oh."

"Pulling any missions today with Bella?" he asked, taking out his phone as it began to beep.

"No. She's working, I might see her and Christian later. You want to join us if we do meet up?"

"I can't I'm working tonight." He said straightening himself as tucked the cell-phone away.

"You will take a break?" she asked worriedly,

"Don't worry Mari, we're not all like H." he said smiling, "Okay, I really should go. Call me if you need anything." He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her before leaving.

Marisol's own phone began ringing as she watched him leave, "Hi."

"Hi. Marisol I'm sorry about just now."

"It's fine Horatio, really." She crossed the road and began walking down to the intersection. She looked back at the building once more and smiled before blowing a kiss, "Did you get that?"

"Came straight through my window."

"Brilliant," she could feel him smiling at the other end, there was silence for a few moments. "So…uhm…you have fun at your ballistics conference."

"And you take care." he said softly, his words finding a way to warm her heart even through the mechanics of cellular networking.

"Always. Bye."

"Talk to you soon Sweetheart."

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	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Right a couple of things to mention for this rather longish chapter: GSV- gun-shot victim, I wasn't sure about the proper terminology so I kind of made that up. I'm not sure if I spelt chop-shop right, but I played it by ear with that one. OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder (this one I didn't make up). I know the chapter title sounds a bit cliche but I was seriously lacking inspiration when it came to picking a title. This episode (#419, Driven) really had me screwing up my face and cringing at some of the Horatio-Marisol moments, especially the one at the end, I was furious with my TV (I know, completely irrational!) So I've tried to give my view on it and how I would have liked to see it play out. Unfortunately I don't have the clips of when Horatio and Eric interact in the episode, so the scenes here are very much lacking detail and the dialogue between the two may not be all that accurate as I have a very vague recollection of those scenes and I apologise for that. Something that did bother me with this episode was the fact that there was so little focus on Eric and his reactions and I've rectified that a little too. There are lots of issues here that I'll be taking up in the next chapter so do bear with me if I seem to have left lots of loose ends. Another thing that really bothered me with this episode was the fact that Horatio and Ryan did not interact after Ryan froze so I've tried to address that here too, hopefully my explanation makes sense and doesn't seem like babble. Apologies if you find any mistakes. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, it's been encouraging to hear from you. Please do leave a review and bear with me if I don't answer them straight away but I'll be away until early next week. Thanks and Enjoy.

Disclaimer: CSI Miami and its respective characters do not belong to me no matter how hard I wish they did but Isabella and Christian do belong to me.

Complications 

Horatio pulled up to the newest crime scene and took a moment to observe the activity around him. Frank Tripp was already there with his Uniforms clearing the scene of unnecessary personnel and establishing the boundaries of the immediate crime scene. The paramedics were attending to the wounded. It was chaotic but nothing out of the ordinary – Just another day in the CSI world.

"Fatalities?" asked Horatio whipping off his sunglasses as he walked up to Frank, a grim smile on his face as a greeting.

"Thankfully none yet. Everyone's being checked out though. Mighty fancy spa here, Horatio. This was easy picking for our car thieves. They're probably all at a chop shop by now."

"Yes. As always time isn't on our side." he commented dryly.

Frank let out a grunt of agreement. "How was the conference?" asked Frank who had taken a week's leave.

"The usual." Horatio replied brusquely not wanting to waste time with small talk.

Frank looked at him strangely.

"How's she doing?" asked Horatio referring to their gunshot victim who was being loaded into an ambulance at that moment.

"She's….she's hanging in there for now. She's with the paramedics." answered Frank, flipping his notebook open.

Horatio made a mental note to check on their victim later, "Alright. Witnesses?" was his next question.

Frank shifted and looked away, unsure of how to answer his question. Horatio changed his stance and pulled himself up to his full height, "What's going on Frank?"

"Horatio, there's something you ought'a know…" seeing his friend's face, he continued in a voice he hoped was reassuring, "… she's ok but one of the witnesses is Marisol."

Horatio's mind blanked for a moment…Marisol…here? Horatio looked around for Eric; Eric had a right to know but his CSI wasn't at the crime scene yet. Horatio was, as usual, the first one from CSI on the scene. He squared his shoulders and then straightened again.

"Horatio?"

"Yeah Frank. I'll be right back. Do me a favour please? Alert the GSV's family that she's in hospital, and let them know the details."

"You got it." called out Frank to the Lieutenant's retreating back.

Horatio took out his cell phone and dialled Eric's number,

His CSI picked up immediately, he could picture Eric's smiling face when he said, "H. We're almost there. Accident on the causeway is holding us up. Calleigh's with me."

"All right then. You guys get here as soon as you can."

"Anything else H.?"

"Yes…Yes there is. Eric, you should know that Marisol is one of the witnesses on site."

"What?!" There was silence.

"Is…Is s…she all right?" came his terse question.

"Eric, there was one GSV but it's not her. I'm on my way to see her now. You just get here as soon as you can."

Horatio could feel the panic in Eric's voice as he said."H. there's something else. If Marisol is there then an Isabella Sorenson is also with her. Could you please just check that she's all right too?"

"I'll do that Eric and let Agent Henry know too."

"Thanks H."

Horatio hung up and looked around for the paramedics. Seeing the group by the swimming pool he walked over to them clearing his mind of emotion and leaving it blank to fill in with details of the crime. He saw Isabella first.

"Isabella." he asked, hunching down and cocking his head to one side to make eye contact with the slightly trembling brunette who was sitting on a bench waiting to get checked out.

"Lieutenant Caine." her voice small, after taking a moment to recognise him, "Marisol…"

He offered her a smile, "I'm going to check her out at the other station after I see you. I just wanted to make sure you're ok so that I can tell her _you_ are ok."

Isabella began twisting her engagement ring on her finger, "She was closer to it…th…them than I was…I mean…I mean I was in the adjoining room. I just heard the shot…there was so much blood…Oh God…." She paused for a moment. Horatio felt his smile fade as he heard her tell him about Marisol being thrown to the floor and being manhandled. He put his hand on her shoulder to help her calm down. "Is that lady going to be ok?" she finished.

"I hope so." he replied in a reassuring voice, "I'm going to….I'll speak to you later ok?" He felt a ripple of guilt course through him that he hadn't seen Marisol in a week. He had barely had a decent phone conversation with her either during their time apart. He hadn't been able to keep his promise either about going to her next chemo session with her due to his caseload. The ripple surged into a wave.

"Sure." She replied moving up the bench and adjusting the terry-cloth robe over her figure. He began to walk away when he heard her call softly, "Horatio…"

He turned around, "Yes Isabella?"

"You haven't forgotten dinner one of these days….with Christian and I?" she asked, a small smile forming on her features.

"Yes Ma'am." He replied trying to answer her with a smile back although he felt fear beginning to grip him as Isabella's words began to hurt him….Marisol….closer to them…man-handled...he felt a shiver shoot up his spine as he spotted the rather empty second paramedics' station. He lightly jogged over to it and saw that Marisol seemed to be the last person being attended to.

"Give us a minute will you?" he asked the paramedic attending her. Everyone jumped slightly at his sudden appearance. The Paramedic nodded and moved away.

"Marisol."

She gave a small smile and hitched herself up into a seating position. "The one day I decide to pamper myself right…." her voice heavy with sarcasm, her eyes looking everywhere but at him.

He cut her off mid-sentence, "Marisol, I don't like the look of that. I'm going to send you to the hospital and have you checked out." He ran his eyes swiftly over her whole form to check for himself that she wasn't hurt anywhere else. There was a small cut just below her knee but it didn't look as bad as the angry gash on her forehead that was still leaking tears of blood. Her damp tendrils framed her innocent face delicately. Her eyes seemed browner today but if he looked hard enough like he was doing at the moment he could still see flecks of green, glinting as her eyes kept darting around. Her skin seemed to glow from the various spa treatments she had had, and he could imagine touching her, delicately, just to feel the softness he could see and validate once again that he was wide awake and not dreaming that he was seeing her. Her shifty eyes and faltering voice were, he knew, due to shock and although the cut on her forehead looked deep he wanted to make sure that she hadn't suffered any other unseen injuries. He wanted nothing more than to lift her into his arms and take her home, sit with her on his veranda and make her smile and then laugh, to be content to see her eyes light up as she did so. But there was no point in imagining; he was just wasting precious time.

"No I'm fine. I j…just fell." she replied, crossing her ankles, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the gurney. Horatio rested his hand gently on top of hers. She looked down at their hands for a moment. She had been hoping that it would be Horatio's team who were called to the scene. She hadn't seen him since their breakfast because he had been so busy. Today being a Saturday she was going to call him later and ask him if he would like to come over for diner. But suddenly this evening seemed very far away with him being so close to her. She felt…...

she didn't know what she felt….

safer,

protected,

reassured….

loved…...

there were multiple things she was feeling knowing that Horatio (and Eric) would be on the case. The only thing she could say for sure was that the feeling of panic subsided when she saw his dark, suited form next to her: his controlled actions, his quick mind, his promise of justice, all made her feel less frightened.

"Marisol, what happened?"

She pulled her robe around her with her other hand, huddling slightly as if she wanted it to swallow her up, "I do…don't know. It just happened so fast. They…were… just suddenly there…I keep seeing them….in those masks…" she faltered, the terror and fear shining clearly through. She shut her eyes images running riot through her head once more. She felt his thumb stroke her hand and then said with more conviction, "Horatio… you get them ok?" Her innocence coupled with her expression made his heart shrink and then swell.

He looked down into her frightened face and said, "I will.", with more force than he had meant to because she suddenly looked frightened again. The promise he made felt like it was being seared into his skin. Marisol's words had just made the case personal, as personal as when Ray Jr. had been targeted as a scapegoat for his friends' actions early last year. He knew it was useless to be angry, anger that was becoming a seething, silent rage. But this thought did nothing to quell the anger that Marisol had been hurt and that he would do everything and anything to get the culprits. He looked up and felt the air around him mirror his feelings…. the calm before a storm. The Miami air had suddenly become more humidly oppressive than it normally was.

"Horatio….Oh my God! Bella…" she choked clutching at his arm.

"Marisol, Isabella is fine. You're both going to be fine." He said softly, kissing her tenderly on her forehead.

"Thanks." she whispered.

"Please go to the hospital?" he pleaded, his eyes doing as much of the coaxing as his voice.

She shook her head, "I'm fine…it's just a scratch."

"Please…for me?" he asked maintaining eye contact so she could see the earnestness of his words. She gave in and nodded not feeling strong enough to fight him on this one and…. actually…. giving in didn't feel all that bad.

"I'll…" he cleared his throat and raised his voice, "I'll speak to you later then."

She nodded. His hand remained a moment longer on top of hers before pulling away as he turned to leave. She sensed his reluctance as he took his hand off hers and walked away.

He made his way back to the scene and passed Isabella on the way, still sitting on the bench. He sat with her for some time, questioning the other ladies sitting next to her. After gauging an approximate timeline Horatio excused himself. He called Bella's fiancée – Agent Christian Henry to tell him what had happened and that both Isabella and Marisol had suffered no lasting damage.

Horatio had just started talking to Frank about potential suspects when Eric came striding towards him.

"H. Marisol."

Horatio pulled Eric aside, "I've sent her to the hospital to get checked out."

Eric pushed against him, "Horatio, I want to go with her."

Horatio held onto Eric's arm to restrain him, "Eric…" he said quietly, "Eric, I need you here." the note of authority though gentle was clear in Lieutenant Horatio Caine's voice.

Eric scowled at his boss and for a moment he felt reckless enough to disobey a commanding officer. However the moment passed, Eric continued to glare at Horatio and then dropped his arm and stalked off to gather evidence. Calleigh walked up to Horatio and cleared her throat gently.

"Ma'am?" asked Horatio.

"Horatio…I wouldn't…. I wouldn't normally ask you this but do you think you should be involved with this case?"

Horatio stared at her for a moment, his hands immediately finding his sunglasses, "I don't quite get what you mean Calleigh."

"It's just that you're…." she gestured a little wildly with her hands, he raised an eyebrow, "You're involved with one of the witnesses."

Horatio remained quiet trying to put down his temper that was storming with her words, "Calleigh, while I appreciate your concern. This case is just like any other case. She's a witness Calleigh, there's absolutely no conflict of interest here."

Calleigh flinched, "I'm just saying….never mind," He turned to walk away and heard her mutter "You're the boss."

Damn right I am, he thought to himself as he walked to the Hummer. He glanced at Eric who just shot him another scowl. For the first time since Speedle had died and Ryan Wolfe had joined the team he felt irked by his CSIs, although he was not sure Speed would understand him either right now.

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Eric spent most of the morning collecting and photographing evidence. He was kept busy by Calleigh and Wolfe, who for some reason had both lost the ability to perform simple CSI tasks. As a result he hadn't even had the time to call either Marisol or Isabella to see how they were. However just because he was kept physically occupied his mind was far from being focused on his tasks, he just did them mechanically, out of habit and thought of other things:

How dare Horatio! He had a lot of respect for his boss but this was his sister for Christ's sake! Eric felt upset knowing that Horatio had probably gone to see Marisol before heading back to the lab. He didn't care if he was being irrational because he just didn't think Horatio was being fair. Horatio who always thought family was so important was making him, Eric, put Marisol on the backburner. In Eric's eyes, Horatio Caine, at this moment could not be more of a hypocrite. His anger made him work through evidence collection faster than normal but helping the others meant he didn't get back to the lab until lunchtime.

He had hardly spent fifteen minutes in Trace when he got the call that Marisol's house alarm had gone off. Barely thinking, Eric ran out towards the elevator shouting to Wolfe that he'd be back as soon as he could. He reached the elevator when Horatio appeared out of nowhere,

"Eric, what's wrong?"

"It's Marisol. Her house alarm just went off and she's not picking up her cell." He said breathlessly punching the elevator button, willing it to arrive faster.

"I'm coming with you Eric." said Horatio with a tone of finality.

Bloody Mr. Righteous again thought Eric to himself, his lips setting in a thin line as his finger continued to press the button. However a tiny part of him was glad that Horatio was coming along.

Horatio noticed the scowl settling on his CSI's face again. The time he would have alone with Eric would be sufficient to talk to his CSI and gauge his feelings at the moment and maybe help vent them. Horatio knew he was playing a part in the younger man's frustration.

They drove to Marisol's apartment in relative silence each consumed by their own thoughts, Eric; still upset with Horatio while Horatio seemed to have forgotten how to be at ease with Eric when his fiery temper got the better of him. Both were afraid of what they may and may not find.

Eric kicked the door in, Horatio entered first calling out "Miami PD!"

Silence.

They quickly cleared each room, relief coursing through them as they came across empty rooms. They came across the dead body together. Horatio pointed his gun downwards and knelt to check the man's pulse knowing Eric had his back no matter what – they were in the field now, the only thing that counted was reaction.

Horatio's hand tightened on his gun as he glanced around the body: the blood pool was still warm and gave off a sickly red reflection. Even though the man was dead he had the sadistic urge to put another bullet into the corpse's head. He glanced up at Eric and shook his head. They both unclipped their cell phones and called in the homicide.

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Horatio and Eric drove back to the lab together. Eric had finally got the chance to speak to Marisol for a few moments before he had to leave to get back to the lab. He neglected to mention that her home had been broke into. Once again he had Horatio for company. This time Horatio let him drive.

"Eric…" he began.

"H. it's cool. I was just a bit frustrated earlier. My temper, I know."

"I understand. I'm sorry, I may have made a mistake but I had my reasons."

"H. Man, really it's fine, I think I get it. You wanted me to get the evidence while it was still fresh and I had to remain as objective as possible."

Horatio smiled, Eric smiled back and drummed his hands against the steering wheel.

"Eric about Marisol and myself seeing each other. It can stop if it's affecting you too much. We all knew that there would be complications… I just never thought they'd actually happen." he added sadly and rather naively thought Eric.

Eric's smile vanished. He looked completely torn between his choices. There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Eric's mind raged between Marisol's happiness and what he thought was best.

"H…" he swallowed the lump in his throat, "….like I said before I can't complain or ruin something if it makes her happy." Eric looked at Horatio, he didn't think he had ever seen Horatio radiate warmth and happiness like he seemed to be doing now. There had always been that melancholy air about him and this sudden change in his boss made Eric a bit nervous. "I'm just confused H….there's so much going on with her." He shook his head, "I don't know what to do sometimes."

"I guess we're all making it up as we go along, Eric." replied Horatio quietly.

Horatio's words did nothing to allay the nervousness growing in Eric's gut.

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The whereabouts of the chop shop had come easily after the first incident. Horatio, Wolfe and the SWAT team surrounded the warehouse quickly, quietly and cautiously.

They burst in, weapons drawn, badges in clear view, shouting "Miami Dade PD!" – Just as protocol dictated. The events after that did not follow protocol.

Wolfe's heart sprang into his throat. Time seemed to still as he saw the car-thief come out with a shotgun, malice etched into every line of his face, his teeth gritted, wanting to take someone down with him – would it be Wolfe? The gun was pointed directly at him and nothing…..he couldn't move, his brain was screaming but his muscles had frozen….there was nothing…..except for a single breath, his breath….there was no thought of survival….nothing……

Then the shot rang out loud and clear. Horatio had taken it. His anger turning into primal fury as he pulled the trigger without a thought other than this man, this pathetic excuse for a human being had hurt Marisol and was now going to take another one of his CSI's – he was certainly going to pay in blood for his crime. In a way he was glad that Wolfe froze, it gave him the grisly satisfaction of being the one to pull the trigger on his service weapon.

Horatio moved in immediately after the shot and Wolfe's synaptic junctions began functioning again as he moved in to cover Horatio. The words were already out of Ryan's mouth, "H……I don't know what happened."

"Mr. Wolfe, you didn't have the shot." came Horatio's clipped response.

Ryan brought his hand up in confusion, "I just froze," he said worriedly. He had had the shot, what was Horatio talking about? He, Ryan could have just caused serious damage by freezing and not reacting. He had to get it through to Horatio that he hadn't meant it. It had never happened before…. He didn't have time to complete his thought process because Horatio said,

"Mr. Wolfe you didn't have the shot…..do you understand?" his voice was quiet but full of meaning. Horatio raised his eyes for a moment and Ryan saw a fleeting emotion in them, an emotion that could inadequately be described as rage.

"Understood." replied Ryan knowing that sometimes it was just better to let sleeping dogs lie…. The Lieutenant was as complicated enough as it was, and he didn't think he wanted to know the meaning behind those words. There was something comforting about living in ignorance – a delicate shell of protection that Ryan was happy to keep around him for the moment until he had overcome his own shock of having a shut down while in the field. He just hoped it never happened again.

After the bust on the warehouse the usual IAB interview followed to ascertain whether protocol had been followed or abused. Horatio had kept his interview with Stetler brief. Stetler was surprised that he got brisk replies and only one snide comment from the Lieutenant today who seemed anxious to get back to processing evidence and following up leads or at least that was the impression the suave Lieutenant gave. He informed Stetler that Ryan had not had a clear shot of the antagonist while he had and so had taken necessary action. Horatio didn't want his CSI to undergo a hassling IAB interview when he knew the OCD CSI was already beating himself up about how this sudden weakness had crept up onto him.

Horatio walked away from the interview room to Trace and sat down with a microscope. Revenge was at times, Horatio thought, a very determined pursuer of justice, and not always a dish best served cold. It was a secondary excuse on his part that he had shot the man because he represented a direct threat. Ok it wasn't quite a surrogate excuse considering Wolfe had been directly in front of the firing end of the shotgun. He had killed a man today, but his reason wasn't protection rather pure hatred and rage. He had wanted to kill the man, not hurt him but kill him. The kill today meant nothing else to him other than a way for him to get revenge and fulfil his promise to Marisol.

If his revenge was over then why was his anger still smouldering in him like a sleeping serpent? Hadn't he just added more blood to his hands? The need to find some solace suddenly became more desperate. Horatio glanced at his watch, he didn't have the time to get to a chapel right now. Instead he walked out of the crimelab to the closest phone booth and made the call to Brazil.

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Horatio was in the lab when he heard his name being called over the PA system. He made his way to reception, "Hi Paula, what's going on?"

"Lieutenant Caine there are some women who want an explanation as to why exactly they can't go home yet." she said apologetically.

"Ok, I'll deal with it. They all outside?"

Paula nodded sympathetically and gave him a look that clearly meant good luck amidst the raving bunch of females. It took Horatio a good 40 minutes to create some order amongst the hysterical women and explain to them what was going on before letting them leave with their police protection. He was just about to go back inside when he saw a patrol-car bearing Marisol in the passenger seat pulling up. He waited for her,

"How you feeling?" he asked slipping his sunglasses out of his pocket, a kindly smile on his face.

"Much better now that I'm out of the hospital." She glanced over her shoulder at the stone-faced Officer, and stuck her thumbs into her pockets, "But he's not letting me go home."

"I know…uh…the shooter from this morning Marisol, has escalated to home invasion. We think they're turning on each other. He was found dead at your house today.

Out came the thumbs from the pockets. Her eyes flashed shock and then helplessness, "Wh…What do I do?" she asked.

He stepped up closer to her and said the first thing that came to his mind, "I want you to stay at my place till this over."

She closed her eyes and then opened them. She shook her head, the words out of her mouth before even thinking about them, "You've done so much for me. I…."

"I know that and I think it would be a good idea."

"Are you sure?" she asked her eyes full of fear of imposing on him.

"Mhmm….I am….I'm going to have the Officer take you over there right now."

She nodded slightly still reluctant to accept his hospitality.

"Officer." He called out, gesturing to the Officer to come over as he gently steered Marisol back to the patrol-car. He took out his key-ring and unclipped his house-key from the set and handed it to him. He had a few words with the officer, smiled at Marisol and left to go back inside feeling more at ease with himself now.

Marisol flipped open her cell and dialled Eric's number,

"Hi."

"Hey Mari, where are you? Anything serious?"

"No…I'm…I'm fine, I just got back from the hospital. Eric…"

"Hmm…."

"Can I stay at your place for a couple of days?"

"I guess Horatio told you about the break-in? I'm sorry about your door. I kind of destroyed it. Marisol don't take this the wrong way but…uhm Natalia is staying over at my place for the weekend and uh…. we have….plans. Maybe you should stay over at Bella's. Or I can cancel altogether. Whatever you want."

Marisol thought about it for a moment, "No don't worry little brother. I've got it…uh Horatio asked me to stay at his for the weekend and…and…."

"Mari, you don't need my approval. Whatever you feel comfortable with Marisol. If anything's wrong or you need anything or if Horatio does anything just ring me…"

Marisol rolled her eyes at Eric's protectiveness, "I'm sure I'll be ok Eric."

"Mari…I have to go, I'll speak to you later ok?"

"Sure. Bye."

"Bye Mari."

After driving for about 30 minutes, they pulled up to Horatio's house.

"Thanks Officer Jenner." said Marisol stepping out of the car. She opened the backseat and pulled out her duffel bag that contained the stuff she had taken with her to the spa.

Her stone-faced guardian acknowledged this with a smile and opened the door for her. "I'll be outside Ma'am." He handed her the key and walked back to the car.

Marisol closed the door and looked around her. Horatio's house was as always impeccably neat and tidy. She was feeling hungry so she dumped her duffel bag in a corner and went in to investigate the kitchen. She looked at his shelves and found tins of soup and tuna. She opened the fridge and found 2 eggs, a slab of cheese and a carton of cranberry juice that had expired 3 days ago. She closed the fridge with a sigh and filled herself a tall glass with water. She went outside but the air was filled with so much tension from the coming storm so she sat in the living room and took deep gulps from it. She figured Horatio wouldn't be back for a couple of hours. She tried lying down on the couch but felt too restless to relax. At the hospital she wanted to get away as quickly as possible and be with herself but now that she was alone, the day's events kept replaying in her mind forcing her to think everything through till she couldn't bear to be alone with her thoughts anymore which were rushing to and fro making guilty accusations about the way she had lived her life. She decided to catch a ride back to the crimelab with the Officer.

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"Mr. Wolfe, a word please?" called out Horatio seeing Ryan pass his office.

Ryan walked into Horatio's office and sat down in the proffered chair with a sigh. He looked at Horatio expectantly, a hand resting against his face; his index finger pointing upwards while his other fingers rested across his face. Horatio noticed how this action was done next to his once affected eye.

Horatio crossed over and sat down across Ryan. He leaned forward, "Ryan about today. It happens."

"It does? But H…."

Horatio cut him off, "Ryan it happens to everyone. It serves to remind us that we are only human and that we can't help but experience fear, it's just a matter of learning how to cope and react to it."

"It hasn't happened to anyone I know." replied Ryan looking down at his jeans.

"It's happened to me." said Horatio quickly, "But what's important is that we learn from the experience. I froze while I was on duty with the bomb squad. I know what it's like."

Ryan remained silent,

"Ryan I know it's not your eye so I don't want you to accredit this to it." Ryan Wolfe's head remained bowed, Horatio continued, "I'm serious, you can't let this affect you other than taking it as a learning experience. This is why back-up is always so important. You can't control it, so there's no point worrying about it, but practice does make perfect and I have every confidence that you, Mr. Wolfe will get over this." Horatio smiled kindly at him with the subtle referral to Wolfe's OCD.

Ryan was silent for a moment and then smiled back, "Thanks Boss."

"Anytime."

Ryan stood up and left. Horatio's thoughts turned back to Marisol as he mechanically filled in the paperwork. He felt reassured that she would be safe and realised he would have to go home tonight because he had company. He hadn't been home for two days. He also realised his fridge would be pretty empty. A grocery stop would definitely be needed on his way home. Eric rapped on his door,

"H. Marisol would like to see you. She's in Room two-oh-two."

"Uh…thanks Eric."

"And H…thanks for letting Marisol stay with you."

"Anytime Eric. Enjoy your weekend." He added knowingly.

Eric just grinned back, "You too H."

Horatio looked through the glass panels of the interview room; Marisol had her back towards him and was looking out of the window at the Miami skyline. Her body language showed resignation and sadness. He opened the door but it didn't seem like she'd heard him. "Marisol…" he said gently to draw her out, "I thought you were at home?"

She nodded her head slightly as if to rouse herself from her train of thought. Her arms folded more tightly against her as if to warm herself. She tried to look away from the window that outlined every failing and weakness she had but it kept drawing her back. Her reflection in the windowpane made her feel even more inadequate than when she was standing in front of the mirror.

"What's going?" he asked concern filling his voice as he took a couple of steps towards her.

"You know it's funny…I….I've been fighting…" she rolled her eyes in exasperation at her own weakness, "… this stupid cancer… and….I don't know… I guess I've never really thought about things."

He took a step closer, "Like what things?"

Her lower lip trembled, "Like what I'd be missing. You know this morning, that woman she was shot…" she closed her eyes and relived the moment in the space of a thought and then opened her eyes, "….right in front of me….and I don't know sometimes I think I've been trying so hard not to die that I forget to live."

Horatio felt the sadness in her words and an ache in his heart as he heard her continue, "There's so much that I've never done…you know I've never travelled….really travelled…."

"You can do those things now." He offered taking another step so that he was directly behind her. He watched her shaking her head dispiritedly. He knew from her tone that she was coming out of shock and this was probably the first time that she had experienced a gunshot at such close quarters. He tried to relate to her with this but he found it hard after having been through too many shoot-outs for it to affect him as much as it had affected her.

Her voice became tremulous and her face flushed as she said, "I've never had a baby."

He felt his own heart ache a little more with her words at how much of his life had gone by too. He adored children but he was so afraid for them. The knowledge that he wouldn't be able to protect a child cut him to deeply to express, he shuddered to think if he couldn't protect his own child. "It's not too late." He whispered soothingly. He watched her turn around, her eyes full of emotion, and seemingly using all her will power not to let the tears leak out here.

"What did you say?" again that hope mixed with resignation he had heard when she sat with him and he had told her that they could do anything they wanted.

He ducked his head before coming up again, "I said it's not too late."

"When you say that…" she nodded her head in a bid to convince herself further, "I believe you."

"That's because it's true." He answered simply.

They both stood in silence, staring out the window, each trying to see what the other could see in the silhouette of the Miami skyline and the neon-red setting sun that was quickly being engorged by angry, charcoal-black clouds. A couple of drops pelted themselves against the window as if meaning to pierce. She began to tremble. She could feel his breath tickling her shoulder – it was comforting. A knock on the door forced them to come back to the present. Horatio turned around and saw a lab tech waving at him enthusiastically, clipboard in hand. Horatio motioned that he would be right out.

"Uh….Excuse me, I'll be right back." he said, as he walked away and closed the door gently behind him.

Marisol watched him, her thoughts overcoming her once again. She couldn't believe she had said all that to him but there was no one else she'd rather have told. Her wanting to have a baby which, given her present situation was an incredibly guilty, selfish, foolish, stupid desire. It just wasn't possible. But somehow she felt closer to him now, she barely remembered the conversation now, it was all a blur. A baby? The ultimate experience needed to complete her as a woman? She just didn't want to miss out on anything anymore. They didn't need words anymore, the answer she got from his eyes, from his smile all said yes, that he'd love to be a part of her experience too, in any way possible, but then why did she feel like she was imposing on him again? Was she pushing him into something he didn't want? They had never talked about this. She couldn't bear to hurt him and she was willing to let go of her selfish desires to see him happy. She shouldn't have come to the lab to see him, she should have just waited till he got home. She glanced out at him again and saw the lab tech's eyes wandering over to her while he listened to Horatio. More tongues would wag now about her coming here. How could she be so incredibly stupid? "I'm sorry….I didn't mean to presume…I didn't mean to impose on you." she mumbled, collapsing into a chair nearby when he walked back in.

Horatio crouched down and rested his hands on the arms of the chair, gently swivelling her around so that she was facing him. "You're not imposing Marisol. How about we go home now hmm? And talk when you're more comfortable." He wanted to get her to relax and try to ease her out of her shock instead of allowing her to go through the jolting transition between shock and normality.

She took a deep breath in and smoothed the front of her jeans. Her palms felt cold and clammy. She suddenly felt so tired. She offered him a tight smile. He was right she thought. But now would there be a barrier between them? She felt so embarrassed.

"I…have to go see to a few things before we leave. Will you give me a minute? Would you mind if I met you at the front desk?"

She stood up, a bit unsteady on her feet. His arm reached up to steady her. "I'll be fine Horatio. I'll see you there." Horatio watched her exit, his own emotions stirred. This would be interesting he thought, to see how much more she would open up to him and whether he would be able to open up some more to her.

Marisol stood at the front desk and waited. Ryan Wolfe came up to the desk to ask if he had any messages.

"Hi Marisol. Feeling better?" He asked his eyes darting to her forehead before flicking through the little notes handed over to him, "Thanks Paula."

"Hi. A lot better. How things going?" she said, glad for some company to occupy herself amidst the stares she was getting as people walked past her.

"Uh…not good." He said sighing,

Marisol patted his arm, "Anything I can do?"

Ryan looked at her, "Horatio and I were involved in a shoot-out today and I froze." He didn't know why he was telling her but the words were just tripping off his tongue like sporadic gunfire.

She clapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes widening, "I'm glad you guys made it through." she said softly. She had picked up on his depressive state, "I hope it doesn't happen again….I mean Eric always says how hard you work and stuff so I'm sure you'll work through this." she offered sympathetically.

He gave her a baleful stare. Marisol got the impression that she had said something wrong, "I'm sorry….I didn't mean to…"

"It's ok Marisol. The whole experience was just numbing. It's never happened before." Marisol patted his arm, "Thanks though."

"I didn't do much, but you're welcome." she replied.

Ryan offered her a happier smile before walking away. Marisol felt herself warmed by his smile.

"Hey, you ready to go?" asked Horatio who had seemed to materialise out of thin air again.

She jumped slightly and offered him a big smile, "How do you do that all the time?" she asked with mock exasperation. He just gave her an enigmatic smile. "Yep, I'm ready."

They reached the door and Horatio slipped off his jacket and held it over her head as they dashed helter-skelter through the downpour to the car.

"Thanks Horatio." she said breathlessly,

"Anytime." he answered back even though his shirt was completely drenched. He started unbuttoning his shirt. Marisol blushed and didn't know where to look. However to her relief he had his regular black t-shirt underneath which was still relatively dry. He used his shirt to rub his arms dry.

"What?" he asked seeing her smiling, her cheeks flushed. It wasn't rocket science to sense what was going through her mind especially from their earlier conversation. But they hadn't taken that step yet…...

"Nothing..." She ran a hand through his damp hair that was now sticking up in spikes, "You should spike your hair." Horatio gave a non-committal shrug, and caught her hand, kissed it and then held her hand loosely as they drove.

"We…uh….we have to make a grocery stop on our way back."

"I noticed." she replied a smile on her face.

"Sorry about that…. Spoken to Isabella?" asked Horatio.

Marisol rubbed the lines in his palm, "Yes…she's doing fine. Her parents had come over for a couple of days so she's with them. She's a bit shaken up that's all."

"I know it's been a tough day for you both." he said smoothly as he weaved through traffic.

"For you too…." she said under her breath.

"Pardon?" asked Horatio straining to catch her words.

"Oh….uh nothing, nothing."

"You coming in?" They had arrived.

"Is it ok if I wait in the car?"

"No problem. Can I get you anything in particular?" He unbuckled his seatbelt,

"A raspberry lollipop please?"

He blinked at her in surprise, "Sure."

"Thanks."

Horatio hurried into the store and basically rally drove the trolley cart around the store.

Marisol sat staring at the pouring rain. The drive so far hadn't been as bad as she'd thought it'd be. But now she was staying at his house and well…hadn't she just said she wanted a baby. They hadn't taken that step yet, it had been so long. She felt nervous but excited at the same time. She had never seriously thought about Horatio getting hurt. It wasn't fathomable. She knew he got really involved in his cases and seriously wore himself out with the strain of shouldering all the emotional responsibility. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her. The ringing in her ears was getting louder and her head felt like it was being cracked from inside out. She pushed her head against the headrest and felt sick. She curled onto one side and took deep breaths but it wasn't making her feel better. Her head lolled to one side.

"Hey." said Horatio opening the door in the backseat and depositing the groceries.

She straightened up and gave him a weak smile.

"Something wrong?"

"No….I'm…I'm fine." He heard the hesitation in her voice.

"Sure?" his fingers brushing against hers as he started the car.

She started at the contact, Horatio pretended not to notice. "Yeah…Yep…I'm fine." she said in the cheeriest voice she could manage.

He knew there was something bothering her. Maybe he shouldn't have left her by herself in the car. "Here's your lollipop." He drew out the bright pink wrappered stick.

"Thanks." she took it from him and played with it in her hands.

"Marisol, what's bothering you?" he asked after a couple of minutes.

"Nothing." she replied, a bit too quickly.

They didn't talk very much the rest of the way home. Horatio continued to feel worried. The more involved he became with her, the harder it was for him to let go and imagine his life without her. He couldn't help but feel that every time he saw her he felt more and more like a school boy, well either that or he was just more pathetic than he cared to admit.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: CSI:M characters that you do recognise do not belong to me, however the characters connected with Marisol in this chapter are mine.

Rebel and Change

When they arrived home it had begun to rain harder. Horatio switched off the engine. He looked over at her: Marisol was gazing off at a scene visible only to herself through the sheets of rain. The lollipop lay in her lap, forgotten. Her hands were in front of her, her left index finger absently scratching her right wrist. The itch seemed to have gone but it didn't seem like her mind was on the same level as her body's needs; the skin had a pink tinge to it that was slowly turning into a crimson streak. He watched in fascination as her nail finely peeled back layer after layer of skin. His mind automatically started listing: epidermis: keratinised layer, stratum spinosum, stratum basale - contains melanocytes, keratinocytes, Merkel ce…… HORATIO CAINE STOP! Thinking ashamedly that there could not be a more ungodly, indecent, unsuitable moment to be scientifically detached he reached out to touch her. His fingertips had barely made contact with her skin when she jumped as if something had exploded, goose-bumps everywhere, utterly startled, her hands stretched out, her legs coming up to brace herself for some invisible, impending crash. Her reactions happened so fast that he automatically said, "Marisol…it's all right…we're home."

"Horatio….I….I…I'm so sorry." she said embarrassed. She brought her legs back down to the floor mat and buried her hands under her legs. She shook her head vigorously in an attempt to physically clear her mind.

"It's all right, no need to apologise." he replied consolingly. The fear seen in her eyes was gone in an instant. His fingers caressed her bare arm trying to comfort her. It was meant to be solely comforting but there were more sparks going off than usual, not the least from him. They sat in silence for a moment. She turned to face him and gave him a tight smile when he unbuckled both their seat belts. "Stay here. I'm going to get an umbrella for you." He slipped out of the car and disappeared into the rain. Marisol felt foolish and a bit angry about being treated like a child. She forcibly tried to control her shaking by consciously tensing and clenching every muscle. She looked at the imprints on her hands that had been caused by her jeans – they were still shaking. She felt extremely cold. She pocketed her lollipop, reached behind her and grabbed the groceries. Taking a deep breath to steel herself against the pounding rain, she ran towards the door murmuring obscenities at herself for wearing high heels. Squinting through the rain she wasn't able to make out anything but silhouettes. She ran smack straight into Horatio who was just about to leave the doorway with the umbrella. He was caught by surprise as the hurtling figure ran head first into him, winding him slightly. Reflex kicked in; he dropped the umbrella and caught hold of her to pull her against him and shield her. Marisol, taken aback by the strong arms that had come out of nowhere instinctively resisted by dragging her heels slightly before realising it was Horatio, but by then it was too late. She slipped on the wet surface, throwing her weight forward. The groceries were tossed upwards as she grabbed the neck of his tee and tried to pull him back rather unsuccessfully.

THUD! They both landed on the floor – Marisol on top of Horatio. She immediately burst out laughing. Horatio on the other hand was not so amused.

"Are you ok?"

"Are you….are _you_…ok? You make a wonderful cushion." she gasped, a fit of giggles overcoming her, as they lay in the semi-darkness of the doorway.

"Think I may have lost a couple of brain cells," he said, irritated.

She kissed him on the forehead, "I'm sorry…" She saw him frown, the lines on his forehead clear-cut in the semi-darkness around them, "Oh Horatio, I'm sorry, I really am, but lighten up! That was so funny. C'mon think about it…" she twirled her finger in the air to imitate the cogs in his brain, turning, before starting to laugh again. She moved her hands up to his lips. "That's right Horatio! Gee finally, a smile!" she said in between giggles when his lips began to twitch upwards. "I'm sorry about that, but you really should know better than to grab someone like that," she said matter-of-factly, her lips close to his, her fingers threading through his hair.

He groaned in mock exasperation, grabbing her and rolling them around so that she was pinned under him. He adjusted himself so that she wasn't bearing his full weight. She let out another short giggle, surprised that he wasn't being so anal about lying wet on the floor. "Sweetheart, this is your fault. Why couldn't you just wait for the umbrella?"

"Just my rebellious nature." she replied coyly, batting her lashes at him.

Horatio rolled his eyes, "And if I have lost more than a couple of brain cells?"

Marisol punched him lightly. He gave a mock grimace. Her fingers slid up his arm, under his t-shirt, "Don't you roll _your _eyes at me Lieutenant." She pretended to think for a moment, but already had an answer, "Well I guess you won't be able to be 'Lieutenant' anymore because you'll be demoted. Your solved rate will drop-"

"You really have given this a lot of thought haven't you? One would think you were in league with the bad-guys!"

"Ah but I haven't finished…and then you'll have to take orders from that guy you had words with in the parking lot, the other day."

Horatio stopped stroking her face, his own aghast, "Hang on….of all the people you could have possibly thought of me taking orders from, you picked him? You're incredible, you know that?"

Marisol raised her eyebrows at him, and heard him mutter under his breath, she piped up, innocence flowing from her hazel eyes, "Oh yeah, that's it, Stetler. He seems like such a charming…"

"Sweetheart, don't even go there, _please_," Marisol laughed at his tone. "I don't care how rebellious you are, just don't mention Rick…" Thunder boomed suddenly, startling Marisol, she grasped him closer, "See even the weather doesn't like him," he commented dryly, "I wouldn't be surprised if he got a thunder-bolt hurled at him, one fine day. Idiot has it coming, after…"

Horatio was cut-off mid-sentence by Marisol arching her neck and kissing him. He liked it. He liked it a lot. He found it irresistible and succumbed at once to the attention she was lavishing on his lips. Their absence from each other again triggered something within him. He rolled them around again, feeling the urgency in her kiss as it became more demanding. Her hands had now slipped under his t-shirt at his waist, hot fingertips roamed on cold, damp skin. Her leg curled possessively around him as she pulled him closer into her. He broke the kiss, and asked playfully, "That is not me…and it can't be you can it?" referring to the hard lump he felt between them.

She let out a rather infectious giggle. "That is a lollipop…and I was going to say Rick Stetler seems like such a charming ass."

"Approved Miss Delektorsky," he replied beaming. She pushed his head down and kissed him again. He felt his heart rate double and wondered if that was her heart he could feel throbbing against him, in time with his. Their clothing had never felt more superfluous. His hands were out of control! He had no idea how they were now under her yellow halter, enjoying the smoothness and softness of her skin, before beginning to mold her back. Their whirlpool of lust was on the verge of spiraling out of control when he remembered where they were and where her actions were coming from.

He stopped. The funniness of him lying on the floor, willingly, truly dawning on him. He wondered why it had taken him so long to see it. Marisol let out, what could only be interpreted as a sigh of disappointment from under him, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"We're kind of getting wet and well I think my neighbors might call the cops on us for putting on such a show." He said good-naturedly, gesturing to the open door and sliding them along the floor further into the house. She gave a broad smile, mischief radiated from her body in waves that Horatio could not help but pick up.

He held her as he lifted them both up into a seating position. Marisol, still half-straddling him, massaged the back of his head and looked up into his eyes. Even though she couldn't see them she could sense the warmth coming from them, and suddenly she felt confused and scared. Everything went silent again. Her hand slipped away leaving Horatio certain that she was still in shock, her emotions swinging wildly like the pendulum of a 'cuckoo' clock. It was completely dark now. She lifted herself off him with an 'Ahem'.

"Can I put the lights on?"

"We could live in the dark." He joked back, only to be met with silence, "Uh…Marisol…" The silence just convinced him that he really shouldn't initiate jokes, it always backfired, "Uh…Sweetheart, I was kidding. Of course you can put the lights on." He heard the soft click and saw the seriousness of her expression.

"I'm sorry about the mess I've made." she said looking around at the scattered groceries.

Horatio said nothing but stood up and gave her a hug, she held onto him, "It's all right. You just need a little time." he whispered. She nodded mutely, pushing him away from her. She bent down and started gathering the items up. Horatio helped her. They each carried a bag to the kitchen.

"Marisol, I'm just going to get my jacket and shirt and lock the car."

"Sure," she replied her back to him. She took out a box of pasta and looked at it.

"Cupboard on the right." he called to her as he left. Marisol turned around to ask how he'd known but he had already left.

He returned minutes later to find that she had opened all his cupboards, revealing their bareness to him – Bare, just like certain areas of his life.

She stood back looking at it all, undecided about where to put the food he had bought. He came up quietly behind her and draped a large towel around her shoulders. He put his arms on top of hers and holding her hands within his he showed her where all the different things went. They worked in silence, but this time it was a comfortable silence. Horatio marveled at how perfectly she seemed to fit within him. How perfect this moment seemed to be. How they were able to do things without having to speak, her mind matching his. It was just as perfect as Yelina, if not more because this time there were 'no complications'; no guilty pangs when he thought of Marisol, no ghostly shadows lurking, no Stetler! no thoughts of '- if -', just happiness and now…

He wasn't allowed to complete his train of thought because now that they had finished she had turned around and had wrapped the towel around his slightly shivering form. "You're cold." she stated, turning him around and pushing him out of the kitchen, "How about you go and dry off or have a shower or whatever, and I'll make dinner? I'm sure I'll _eventually_ find everything I need."

Horatio shook his head sternly, "I'm making dinner. I want you to relax! Marisol I mean it, go watch TV or something…" he tried to shoo her away with one hand while the other toweled his damp hair. Marisol just stared at the cutest picture of him; she imagined that this is what he'd look like when he woke up.

"What?" he asked bewildered, looking more boyish than ever.

"Nothing. Please let me help?"

"Marisol, that's out of the question. You're my guest now. I insist, really."

"But Horatio I…."

"Marisol I promise to ask for your help if I need it." It was said with such solemnity that she couldn't help but let out another giggle.

"Pinky promise?" she asked, holding out her little finger.

Much to his disgust, his hands seeming beyond his control again as his left hand magically raised his little finger, and wrapped itself around hers. He couldn't believe he was indulging this! "My word." he answered back, holding onto her hand, "Can I get you something right now though?"

"Water, please."

Horatio filled a glass and gave it to her, "Thanks Horatio."

He couldn't help but grin at her, "Pleasure Marisol."

A couple of minutes later, Horatio peeked in on her and saw her flicking through channels. He started to prepare dinner. Towards the end he called out to her to ask if she would like some wine with dinner but silence was all he received as a response.

"Marisol…" he began before seeing that she had fallen asleep on the couch; her legs were folded up under her, her neck resting on her shoulder at an awkward angle, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other splayed out, close to the tumbler of water. He was undecided; should he wake her up or let her sleep…plus there was the question of her medication. He wasn't sure when she had last eaten and well, he didn't want her to starve while she was under his roof. But her exhaustion was natural in such a situation. Tom and Jerry scampered across the screen while he made up his mind about what to do. He checked on the guest bedroom, turned the covers down and put fresh towels in the adjoining bathroom. He returned to the living room and carefully picked her up. She shifted in her sleep at the disturbance, stretching out in his arms and sighing. She was dead weight and he struggled a little with her as he climbed up the stairs. When he reached the top, her eyes fluttered open, hazy hazel eyes stared at him, blinkingly and unfocused, before curtaining down again. He laid her down on the bed and took off her high-heels wondering for the millionth time in his life, how women managed to pull off such balancing acts, and just how unnecessary it all was. She immediately curled onto her side. He removed the lollipop from her pocket and placed it on the little table next to the bed. Horatio drew the covers up, around her. He had just brought her duffel bag up to the room when the telephone began to ring. He dropped the bag quickly and lunged for the phone on the small table on the landing outside her room, quickly pressing the 'Talk' button before it had a chance to squeal again. He picked up the duffel again and deposited it on the easy chair in her room. Marisol shifted in her sleep.

"Hello?" he whispered.

"Horatio?" came a voice through the static.

"Raymond." he whispered, inching out of the room as Marisol stirred in her sleep again.

"Are you whispering in your own house because you've finally lost it, big brother? Is everything all right?" asked Ray genuinely concerned for his brother's mental state, "Nothing more happened this afternoon right?"

"Raymond!" he growled at the question about his senility, "Everything's fine."

"Then why are you still whispering?" pressed Ray.

Horatio sighed, "Marisol's staying here, and well I just put her to bed. I invited her over. And well you're supposed to be dead, remember?"

Ray stifled a laugh, "Horatio you know she's an adult, I'm sure she can put herself to bed."

"She fell asleep on the couch, Raymond." replied Horatio pointedly. He ran a hand over his jaw, "It's been a long day, Ray."

"I know." he replied apologetically, "I'm sorry I had to cut you off this afternoon. Yelina and I….we're…well we…"

The hesitation on his brother's part was enough, "Raymond…" the warning was clear.

"Nothing happened." Raymond added quickly, "It's just that…well tomorrow is _her_ birthday, and I didn't know, and well Yelina still hates me for it but she won't let us put this behind us. She says I can't ignore _her_ and forget about her."

"Raymond, she's right. Madison is your child."

"I know that…damn it!" He took a deep breath. "I know that…" he said more calmly, "I have missed out on a lot Horatio, I know I have. And well Ray seems to have taken to _Madison_ and so has Yelina whether she likes to admit it or not, I know she has...and well considering that it's her birthday tomorrow, I want to open a college fund for her. Do you think you could open an account and then I'll wire the money through?" There was silence for a moment before Ray added, "And please say 'Hello' to Susie for me?"

Horatio was taken aback. He cleared his throat, "That won't be a problem. I'll send you the details as soon as I get them. And I will pass on your message, Ray." Hearing silence, "You're doing the right thing Ray."

Raymond sighed, "After a long time." he joked. Horatio smiled despite himself. "So how's Marisol holding up? How are you holding up?"

"She's still in shock. I'm hoping she gets a restful night…I'm fine… well you know…when we got the house call…"

"Hey man, don't go there. She's safe now and well she's with you; should be enough to scare off any criminals…" Horatio heard new voices at the other end, "Uhm…Yelina and Ray have just got back from a movie. You wanna speak to them?"

"I'd love to."

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Horatio hung up half an hour later, only to pick up his cell-phone five minutes later,

Seeing the caller ID, he answered quickly, "Eric?"

"H. is Marisol with you?" asked Eric worriedly.

"Uh Eric, she's asleep at the moment." He heard the younger man sigh, "Something happen?"

"Oh, no. It's just that her cell is turned off and well your house line was busy. I just wanted to wish her good-night and say I'd drop off some of the stuff she asked me for at your place tomorrow morning," he thought for a moment and added, "if that's ok with you, H.?"

"Of course Eric."

"Oh and another thing, when she does finally get up, could you please ask her to call Isabella."

"Will do Eric."

"Thanks H."

"No worries. Good-night."

"Bye H."

Horatio hung up, and glancing at the clock he decided to make one more call before it got too late.

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Marisol's eyes flew open as the gun-shot rang out. She was breathing hard. She sat up quickly, and immediately felt dizzy. She threw off the covers and tumbled to the wooden floor. She lay still for a moment looking up at the dark, unfamiliar ceiling, her limbs aching with pain. She closed her eyes and pressed her sweaty palms against the side of her throbbing head. Her ears were ringing, and she was covered in sweat. She felt another prickle of sweat leak out of her pores. She kept her eyes closed, still afraid but how could she escape the fear bunked in her mind? Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from her own consciousness, sleep unavailable. With every thought, she came to the same concluding image; a gun shot and blood seeping away from her prostate form as if she didn't have the right to own a life anyway. She clamped her ears shut, but that just made everything worse. The day's events and the rainy night just brought too many memories back. She sat up and banged her hand on the nightstand while groping around for the light switch. She peeked outside the room: There was a lamp on in the small lounge separating the two bedrooms on the upper floor. Horatio's bedroom was completely dark. Her feet felt cold and damp on the tile as she walked towards his room. She paused on the threshold feeling foolish for wanting him near her right now, needing his reassurance that everything was ok. What would she say to him? What would he think…his bedroom! Especially after the whole 'baby' conversation? Could she have picked out a better innuendo? Oh God! The last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself again in front of him. Right cancel that Marisol, and get a grip, her mind urged sternly.

She headed back into the bathroom for a shower, feeling each sound echoed by the surrounding silence. She flinched each time hoping she hadn't disturbed him. She went back to bed and played with her PSP but somehow being Luke Skywalker and hacking away at storm-troopers wasn't doing it for her tonight. The rain started a heavy metal rhythm against the roof and windows.

Minutes later, she tip-toed back to his room before changing her mind at the last minute and going downstairs instead. She fumbled in the dark with the lock and held her breath as the verandah door slid back quietly…Well thank god the man oiled his hinges, not that she would have expected anything less from such a perfectionist. In fact she would have been damn disappointed if the door had creaked. The rain sprinkled her immediately, her tongue tasted sea as well as rain, a combination she hadn't experienced recently. She sat on the ledge, looking out towards the vague, black horizon line of water and sky. The sea was foaming, the breakers rising with malicious intent but then being buffeted back so hard by the wind that the spray pearled into vapor before her eyes. A streak of lightning followed by a clap of thunder tore the inky night into shreds. The tears she had held back all this time slipped out. She couldn't believe that she was crying… again. She soon tasted the beads, slipping from her eyes mixing with the rain and spray falling on her face, seeping in through her lips as she opened her mouth to take a ragged breath. She wasn't sobbing but the pressure in her chest was unbearable, it hurt to breathe, her lips opened again to try and sip in some air. How could a night like this not bring back all those memories? Memories that she had tried so hard to learn from and become a better person from. Memories she had tried to put behind her…memories…memories… memories that always came back to haunt…no matter how many happy memories she made…those ones still came back to haunt. If she couldn't control her own mind, what could she control? And now after today, a new memory to add…

She didn't know if it was her oxygen starved brain or his sudden presence next to her that suddenly choked her into taking a huge gulp of air. Keeping her head buried in the crook of her arm, she peeked through, "Well, well, well…" she paused for effect, "the man does own pyjamas."

"Living in a suit is harder than I make it look." was his easy reply. He bit down on his lip, a fist pushed against his mouth to restrain himself from saying her name, to tell her that he couldn't bear to see her like this. Her hair fell like a soft curtain on one side, he could feel it against his arm as it shielded her from him. Her legs were drawn up against her chest. He didn't like this new tact she was taking; keeping everything inside her till she was alone – it reminded him of himself, and he felt himself to be such a far-gone case. The thought of this happening to Marisol made him afraid, it wasn't right.

He leapt across the ledge. She moved back slightly. There was a flash of lightning that stilled everything for a moment, including their breathing. She fingered the faded tee he was wearing, "You're getting wet." she said simply.

"And you are not ok…" he trailed off.

Marisol nodded at this but said nothing more. She yanked on his hand to make him sit next to her, a little out of the rain. He sat back against the pillar and let his legs drop on either side. He pulled her up against him. She didn't resist him, her head fell back, onto his chest. Her gaze was still turned towards the sea.

Marisol suddenly felt the overwhelming need to tell him. There was something holding her back but she couldn't figure out what. Yet a moment later, the answer was crystal – her heart. It was all about the power of secrets…The vulnerability felt by chipping away the barriers around her heart-felt memories was terrifying. Telling him about it would be letting him into the most of private of her thoughts and feelings. She'd truly be giving her heart away to him. A difficult decision? When did you draw the line in a relationship of telling the person you're involved with your most intimate secrets and thoughts? Couldn't they turn it against you later? Couldn't they hurt you with it later? Couldn't that trust that one has during the relationship fall to pieces when it's over…all over? Although her cancer would make sure that her 'all over' was truly all over. But how else are you supposed to share your life with a person? It was her greatest fear….to truly open herself…to expose all the weaknesses and failings that she had, worse…would he still accept her after learning about them? But feelings, feelings she had for him, the way their hearts beat together, all that remained unspoken between them, words that did not need to be spoken. The love she had for him surely could not be mistaken. She couldn't be that big an idiot to fool her own self could she? She loved him, she couldn't put it any simpler or more complicated terms.

"Horatio?" she asked quietly,

"Yes?"

"D'you remember when I told you that Eduardo Viegas and me, that we're complicated. I want to tell you about it."

"You don't have to Sweetheart, no pressure here. We all need time…time." He said the words slowly, sadness imbibed in each one. Marisol lingered over the thought of asking about his past.

"I do Horatio, I really do and you may think I'm awful after this but a night…"

"Never Marisol." He whispered into her ear, his chin dropping against her shoulder.

"Ever since I was little I always tried to be different, I don't know why… it was just me. Blanca and Ekky were always so good. At one point, they even looked alike. They both had my dad's blue eyes and fair skin and all the women at church would croon over them and then there was me…I've got my Mom's eyes but that's about all I've inherited from her. I was never as pretty or as liked as they were. I was the tomboy, the troublemaker, which I think, is partly one of the reasons that Eric and I have always gotten on so well. Before Eric made an entrance, my dad was the only one who could get through to me when I did something wrong. I was like him – stubborn to the limit! And then when Eric came along I was thrilled, we were all thrilled about having a little brother. But then I began to feel neglected; my dad began to spend less time with me. I wasn't jealous of Eric; I was just upset with my parents. I couldn't claim that innocence of being the last-born anymore – of being able to get away with anything. I was expected to act responsibly now and be a good elder sister, something that Blanca and Ekky did with perfection. So I used to 'hang out' more, mainly with the older kids at school. It was fun, my family often joked that I got along better with my sisters' classmates than they did. And then when I started high school I started going out more; late nights and parties became frequent. My parents never got too worried because the whole community looked out for each other then. My grades dropped but only slightly. My passions roamed very freely, I joined and did everything but I had a problem with authority. I hated it. Being a rebel was more than second nature. I never committed to anything fully either…I showed passionate interest but never was I committed heart and soul…Never…I was scared of doing that. Bella and I are really different that way; she's always been committed to whatever she signed up for or whomever she got involved with. We had a 'group' culture back then…a couple of us friends would get together, get wasted together maybe make-out. We kinda became better friends like that. It wasn't really 'free love' as such. We were just enjoying each other.

And then the summer before starting tenth grade, I went for Russian classes and this guy Javed Riout, about the same age as me and was really gifted with languages, had a summer job teaching French to the younger kids. He had come from Quebec for the summer. He was an awesome guy, a bit shy at first and I was probably a bad influence on him. Whenever we met, we connected with intensity…somehow… we just connected. He soon became part of my group and ended up transferring high schools from Montreal to Miami. Eduardo was part of my group too. Eddy and I have known each other for ages, we used to go for catechism together. As a group we did everything: weed, cigs, alcohol, all types of rec drugs."

Not wanting to make it sound like a druggie group, even though it had been more than 10 years ago and in light of the fact that Horatio equaled law enforcement, Marisol hastened to add, "We didn't just get high as a group we also talked a lot about things going on at the time…we were all pretty smart, most of us straight A students. We used to like philosophising, thinking we owned the world, that nothing could really break us…Anyway Eddy and I had this connection too, we were a sort of on/off couple. We never officially went out or broke up, but we did date a couple of times. Neither of us committed and that suited us both fine. Our connection was purely physical. We both excited each other, we could literally combust. I enjoyed the power I had over him with the briefest touch. Physicality was the only thing we had. We fooled around a lot but never actually slept together. Again I wasn't willing to commit that far. Javed asked me to go out with him on Halloween in eleventh grade. I surprised myself by saying 'yes'. He loved me, and I felt I was in love too. This was different from flings I'd had with other guys. He just seemed like a soul-mate. He was the first person I slept with, we were both virgins then and well it's so embarrassing to say this but…" She closed her eyes, searching for the words, Horatio waited patiently. He had released her from his embrace to give her some space. Somehow that burning jealousy and anger he felt when he thought about Eduardo Viegas didn't seem to hurt him that much anymore, "Well we were obsessed with each other. Bella couldn't understand it. Because we spent so much time with each other, she asked what the hell we talked about? What newness could there be when we seemed to spend all our time together? We just did, both of us random in our own way. He was one of the few people I trusted enough. Sex between us just happened, it felt right, safe but he never quite made me feel that spark that Eddy could with the briefest kiss. After a while, even though I loved Javed I started messing around with Eddy, especially during summer when Javed would go on holiday. The problem was that Javed couldn't dance to save his life and well Eddy had natural rhythm, and when we danced together it was close to carnal the moves we did together. The rush I got from it, it was as good as having just had mind-blowing sex. I tried to teach Javed but it was just awkward. Eddy and I seemed so natural when we danced. I always felt awful after it, and I promised myself that I'd never do it again but it happened. Being in a relationship with someone as wonderful as Javed didn't kill my restless, internal rebel. I guess I got a cheap thrill when I got with Eddy. I always needed some kind of change, and Eddy was more than happy to be that change. I really didn't deserve Javed.

Our senior year was filled with hard work and even harder play, we had binges every weekend and tottered in on Monday mornings, disheveled and often hung-over. When Graduation week finally came around we had our own celebrations: a one-week high leading up to grad day. It was a wonder we didn't get alcohol poisoning. We couldn't stop giggling after we put on our gowns. We were all slightly stoned or drunk when we went to collect our diplomas. We were so nervous about appearing 'normal' so that kinda made us take in a little extra. I remember having to constantly poke Isabella in the ribs because she couldn't stop giggling during the Valedictorian speech. A bit earlier, we had made her smoke a joint to calm her down because she was so nervous about her Honor Society speech. After the ceremony we all went and spent time with our families. Both my sisters had come from college, and everyone seemed so proud of me that I couldn't help but feel happy. I think they were all worried that I'd pull some stunt with my education. All my friends and I graduated with Honors, it was funny seeing the look on everyone's faces especially the ditzy cheerleaders when we were called up. A lot of my class mates thought it was fucked up; smoking away our brain cells and graduating with Honors." Horatio felt a smile breaking out on his face as he heard her describe it, his imagination perhaps getting the better of him, "We were supposed to meet up after dinner and have the ultimate weekend before splitting away for summer and college. The time of our lives we did have that weekend. I was excited about going to Portugal, for the summer, for the first time, all by myself. Javed wanted to come to Europe with me for summer but I had my own doubts. I wanted my freedom. Besides what would be the point of having a romantic summer with the person you were madly in love with only to get back and have to part ways in September? I knew that would happen even though we hadn't talked about the future. I wasn't going to fool myself about maintaining long-distance! The rebel in me just wouldn't allow it. On Sunday evening we were all punch drunk on vodka and pure happiness, out by _Mi Casa _point. Everyone kind of drifted off, when Bella left with Barry, I asked her to cover for me if the parents should ask for me, something she was all too used to doing for me by now. Then it was just the three of us: Eddy, Javed and me. Not willing to let either of them go and being obsessed with them both, I stayed back, putting off words and actions of goodbye that I would hate. Even though I knew that I would see them the next day, I still didn't want to say goodbye as yet because after today it would all change or rather we would all change. It began to rain and we stayed out there. It was fun getting soaked, messing around in the rain, reveling in the last moments of high-school friendship. I don't know if it was lack of sleep or maybe we'd just drunk and smoked way past our bodily limits, and perhaps because it was just the three of us…a fight broke out between the boys. Javed thought I'd been unfaithful, we had argued about it before but that was all. I never told him what I did with Eddy, it would have hurt him too much. They started fighting, it was more like wrestling each other in the mud. I screamed at them to stop but they both yelled at me to shut up. Getting up suddenly required an enormous amount of effort. I stumbled over to them and tried to push them apart when Eddy pushed me to the ground and kissed me. I don't know if I want to remember but I forget whether I kissed him back or not because Javed kicked him in the stomach. It was too much for him…"

Horatio felt her tears, unnoticed by her, falling on his hands. Seeing her expressionless face and her tears streaking luminous tracks down her face, gave him a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach about what happened next, "…It all happened so quickly then, they yelled and fell over the ledge. I ran to the edge – they were both clutching onto dirt with their fingertips. I grabbed both of their hands. They were both heavy; the rain weighing them down more. And there it was… I was faced with the most horrible choice of who to pull up first. They were holding on as if their lives depended on it. I guess they did. The height wasn't life threatening, at least I didn't think it seemed so. I just froze, holding them in the rain. Of course if I were really in love, I would have pulled up Javed without second thought, but the hesitation lingered as the seconds stretched into eternity. It was agony Horatio. I don't know what came over me but I pulled up Eduardo first. Even through the pouring rain Javed's eyes flashed hurt and betrayal. I'll never forget the look he gave me."

Her back was heaving with effort as she sought to keep her voice firm, and not give into her sobs, "The awfulness of what I'd done hit me with full force. He couldn't believe it, Jesus, I couldn't believe it! How could I have picked that shallow bastard out to score with every chick he had a chance with, over Javed? I begged Eddy to come help me but he was stumbling towards the road-side, too keen on self-survival. I begged Javed to grab my other hand but he didn't. He just mouthed 'I love you,' before his hand slipped from mine. Horatio, the hurt of not being able to save him…how it was my fault, I wasn't strong enough… emotionally or physically…I was just as shallow as Eddy. He fell onto the rocks and screamed in pain. How Eddy kept walking when he heard that scream, I don't know, he just continued on his way. I don't remember how I got down to him, just that it took a very long time. His leg was broken, the bone had come through the skin,"

Marisol, swallowed feeling the bile at the back of her throat, her arms were gripped tightly around herself, and she was pale all over now. Horatio thought she was going to faint and kept an arm out just in case. "He was in so much pain, so much. There wasn't a lot of blood, but the color of his bone and the way it was sticking out was disgusting. I managed to drag him up a bit higher onto the rocks, he swore every second. It hurt me as much as it hurt him. Very slowly I managed to stand him up. I felt betrayed that he was reluctant to let me help him, how could he not know that I couldn't bear to see him in pain? Together we made it to the roadside and flagged down a driver. She took us to Dade Memorial and he was admitted immediately. It was hard to confess that we had been drinking or getting stoned, in enormous amounts - again the authority problem but I had to tell them because Javed's stomach contents had to be pumped before he was given the anesthetic for surgery, and the last thing he needed were complications. A nurse insisted I get checked out because I was covered with cuts and bruises. My dad came in. I just broke down when he spoke to me. Why did it have to hurt so much? Even worse was when Javed's parents came to thank me for bringing him to the hospital. I wanted to tear out my ears, my eyes, my mouth and especially my heart…rip out everything that made me feel because they all hurt me so much. The alcohol soon wore off and the misery was made worse by the hangover coming on. Javed had the surgery and we were all told to go home because the anesthetic wouldn't wear off till much later. It was an incredibly long night, a night that just made me grow up. I felt damaged, things weren't supposed to have ended this way. That whole innocence would never be mine again because of my stupidity, my own selfish desires. Life flashed into perspective. I couldn't keep it inside me and told my dad about it when we were driving home in the morning. I still kinda got a lecture but it was still an adult-adult conversation. I know my dad felt it was his fault too that I'd wandered down the path that Ekky and Blanca never ventured onto. My pain was his pain now. I spent the next five days at the hospital. I was going to cancel my trip and spend time with Javed, but he wouldn't let me. He was often, rather conveniently 'asleep' when I visited and when I finally did manage to catch him awake, he said that things would never be the same. He wanted to say good-bye. I couldn't understand it. I wanted a second chance, but he didn't want any more pain. It was a shock for both of us to say good-bye like that. It was hard not to cry for both of us. His last words cut me completely, he said, 'Sola,' he always called me that for some reason, 'I hope I never fall in love again – because I've already experienced love and it, no you and what we have is the best thing I ever had.' The words 'I love you' hovered in the air between us, waiting, willing to be said, it just didn't happen – perhaps I should have but I was hurting too much. When I got home that day, Eddy was waiting for me. We went into my room where he tried to 'comfort' me and well…" She was cringing now, her fingers and toes curling, as she pulled her knees harder against her chest, "It just spiraled out of control, he wouldn't listen. Isabella and Eric arrived when it was getting out of hand and ended up throwing him off me and out of the house. The next day I left for Portugal – there was a lot on my mind to pass away the 16- hour journey. Instead of having the wild summer that I'd planned to have I spent a lot of time roaming around, just thinking. I met people and made new friends, we went out a lot at night, but there was a change, I was able to stand back and observe myself, not get completely carried away by the moment but still be able to live it. When I got back, Javed was gone. He left me a note but it was just to do with good-bye. It still hurt to read it, but now I could see myself working through this. And before I knew it, I was off to college and well life kind of happened after that."

A clap of thunder silenced her, she sneaked another look at him, he was staring at her intently, "Please don't look at me like that Horatio."

He looked confused, "Like what sweetheart?"

"That look you give all your victims. It's a special look, and I don't want it. I wasn't a victim, it's my fault."

Horatio felt unsure about what to do or say next, his eyes shifted from her and he became restless, "It wasn't entirely your fault. Definitely life changing, but people do all kinds of crazy things when they're young, not do but are a part of."

Marisol looked at him kindly for his blinding naiveté, "No, Horatio, it's entirely my fault. It could have been a lot worse in terms of what happened to Javed – that's the only saving grace."

Horatio didn't know what to say next. She slipped back into his arms. Amongst their differences, he had found a rare similarity between them, except she hadn't realized it yet – the whole guilt complex affected them both albeit it had been acquired from different situations. His jealousy of Eduardo Viegas was gone. It didn't matter anymore, he had perhaps acted like a fool when it came to Viegas, but no less like a human. As the jealousy blew away, anger settled in – anger that he had had the chance to hurt Marisol more than once.

"You don't think any less of me now, do you, Horatio?" she asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely not…I'd never think that about you. It's what being young is all about, Marisol." His fingers traced her hairline, before gently touching the dressing, she automatically squirmed away from his touch, "I'm sorry."

"Don't stop Horatio, I don't think I can be alone." She replied throatily, kissing the back of his hand. "The rain muffles the gun-shot, Horatio."

He took a deep breath before whispering in her ear, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head mutely. He didn't push the matter further. Letting her rest in his arms, he gently began tracing out her features. "What would you like to do now Marisol?"

"Stay like this forever, with you, Horatio." She said sighing before meeting his eyes for the first time. She glanced down again, not expecting him to say anything, not wanting him to say anything, knowing he wouldn't say anything. A roar of thunder killed the conversation. There was another fork of lightning that illuminated the vulnerability of the moment for both of them. Another flash of lightning and thunder-clap blasted through the dark.

Horatio couldn't swallow…he suddenly had difficulty breathing. How did she make him fall for her more and more each time? Dare he tell her, his own thoughts about the day? Wasn't the power of secrets that she had overcome, still holding him back? His demons… He could feel her body relaxing in his embrace as her eyelids began to flutter.

"Bed…" he whispered, picking her up and carrying her upstairs. He paused for a moment at the top of the stairs and then carried her into his bedroom. Seeing the question in her eyes as he set her down, "I'm sure Marisol."

"Thanks." She noticed then that the bed hadn't been slept in yet. She waited for him to lie down next to her. When he did, she pressed herself against him, enjoying the warmth of his embrace and the comfort his presence gave her. His shower gel or whatever he had on right now had that 'manly' scent that greatly appealed right now to her senses, she held him closer, her eyes staring into his. He pulled up the sheets around them.

"I'm sorry Horatio."

The words that had been about to trip off his tongue were suddenly replaced with, "About what Sweetheart?"

"You scared me Horatio, you could have died today. Ryan said there was a shooting. I guess I…" Her eyes left his as she ducked her head pretending to snuggle into him when really she was rolling her eyes upwards to stop anymore tears from slipping out, yet her voice betrayed her by breaking a little, "I guess I never really thought about how dangerous your job is and how easily you could die." Their hands came together, "I'm sorry for asking you to do it. It wasn't right."

"Don't be." He replied detached, feelings of being unprofessional crept back again.

Marisol didn't notice as she turned around and nestled her back into him, "I have a feeling I'll sleep better now…Thank-you," she felt utterly spent but happy. She just wanted to do it before she fell asleep,"…I love you, Horatio." She said in a clear tone, before finally giving in to heaviness that weighed down her eyelids.

Horatio's head jerked up off his pillow in shock. It was said so purely like there was no other truth in the world but her words. His adrenaline suddenly surged as he unconsciously pulled her closer to him, he tried his best to restrain his happiness by giving into a smile but his vocal chords didn't seem to be vibrating correctly. The minutes ticked by as he got over his shock. Lifting his head again he saw she was already asleep. "I love you too," he whispered in her ear, playing with a lock of her hair, before gently kissing her cheek. Horatio was ready to swear that he had seen her smile in her sleep at his words.

Sleep did not come to Horatio that night as he lay with her listening to her breathing and feeling her heart beat against his palm. His eyes felt heavy at one point but they never really closed. All kinds of things were happening inside him, it was strange to feel happy yet melancholy – all alone with his thoughts.

Author's Note: sorry guys couldn't help but put the pun in about the cuckoo clock. This has to be the biggest chapter for me so far, and the reason I've taken so long to put it up is because a) the summer got the best of my muse and b) I wanted the details of Marisol's past to flow right, I wanted everything to be just right, but I've ruminated over some of it for way too long in my head leading to a sense of seeming a bit toooo dramatic but I hoped you enjoyed reading it. Like I said this was a really big chap for me, so it would mean a lot if you would drop me some feedback, even if it's just a line that would be awesome. Hope you guys have all had a swell summer! Cheers!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: A massive thank-you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!! You guys are just too fantastic for words and it really means a lot that people are still reading this fic. _Rom-com _for anyone not familiar with English-Hollywood lingo equates to romantic comedy. If anyone is interested in reading more HM, I have a done a one-shot of them, it's called _Facing Fear: A night in. _It's set pre-Driven (#419) and well it's really not as serious as the title makes it sound, it's just a bit of fun that my muse was obsessed with. I think the chapter title sums up everything going on, it is a massive blend of emotion and reaction, anyway it's up to you guys to decide. Overall, I think this is definitely one of the shorter chapters. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: The CSI:M characters you recognise here aren't mine and the subsidiary characters featured here belong to my muse.

Birthday Blend

The alarm clock woke Marisol up, although in a rather unusual way. It had fallen to the floor with a thud startling Marisol out of sleep: Just as bloody good as if it had gone off, she thought groggily. She turned around to where he should have been and was instead warmed by weak rays of sunshine coming through the windows. It struck her as funny that he didn't have curtains. She sensed that she was alone in bed and her eyes opened merely to verify this. She was more than disappointed. She had imagined what it would be like to wake up in his arms. Perhaps it was just not meant to be after-all. With all that had happened yesterday she had hoped to find him here with her, now. She let out a huge sigh that broke the silence. God! Could she sound any more needy? Sure there was insecurity but this was now bordering on ridiculous she told herself sternly. She stretched and buried her face in his pillow. She let out another loud sigh, it couldn't smell more like him, she could feel him everywhere but it didn't change the fact that he wasn't here with her now. Her eyes fell on a strand of hair that could only be his – unless he had a blonde girlfriend: Calleigh Duquesne maybe? He couldn't be that stupid as to not change the sheets since his last lover was here right? After-all they weren't technically lovers yet, so what were they then? 'Involved'? Marisol stop being paranoid, really! Think about it logically: the strand is short; Horatio has short hair, Calleigh Duquesne does not. It also has a red hue to it that makes it more strawberry blond and that could only be his and definitely not Calleigh Duquesne's. She played with it between her fingers, smiling, as the thought of Horatio balding skittered into her mind and replayed itself over and over. She swung her legs over and stood up to open the sliding door that led to the small balcony. As soon as her hand touched the cold metal of the handle she felt her knees go weak as she was transported back to falling on the cold, tiled floor at the spa. She forced herself to concentrate on what she was seeing: What a beautiful view to wake up to, she thought. The storm was over, and she like everything else her eyes swept across had survived it. She wondered if he ever realised the beauty here, right outside his window. She stood there for a long time, watching time being ticked away by each wave lapping onto the beach and the sun peeking through bursts of drizzle.

She was downstairs, searching his cupboards for green tea (which she highly doubted he had) when she saw the note on the counter,

'Marisol – 

_I hope you slept well. I'm sorry I'm not at home but call me when you can so we can talk about today. Eric dropped some things off for you – I've put them upstairs. He also asked if you could call Isabella when you get up; she's been trying to get hold of you since last night. Feel free to help yourself to anything you like.'_

I'd like you, she thought her eyes resting on the scribbled signature at the bottom.

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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON!"

"Miss Marisol." Marisol gave an indulgent smile, "I mean Marisol. You came..." corrected Madison quickly, opening the door wider, "Mom!"

Marisol dropped to her knees to hug and kiss Madison, "Happy Birthday Kiddo. Here you go: this is for you."

"Thank-you Marisol." said Madison, her eyes shining bright as she took the present, her fingers twitched on the wrapping, but she very admirably restrained herself from opening it. She took Marisol's hand and led her into the house, "My friends haven't come yet. We're having it upstairs on the terrace. You know, I helped Mommy blow all the balloons up and then there's this game we're gonna play where the boys and the gir-" She looked back at the open door, "Where's Uncle Horatio?" she asked expectantly.

"Uhm…he's coming later. You look lovely, Madison."

"Thanks! Do you like my hair?" Madison gave a twirl to show off her hair cut.

Marisol smiled as she watched Madison do a little dance, "It's lovely Madison! When did you get it done?"

"This morning," she announced proudly, "Do I look like Mommy now?" she asked posing.

Marisol stood back and eyed the redhead critically, trying to keep the smile off her face, "Well…hmm…" Truth be told, the only similarities she could pick up on were that mother and daughter now had their hair at roughly the same length and that they were both petite. She had a feeling that the Caine genes were dominant in the pretty redhead's appearance. Marisol was saved from answering by Susie emerging from the kitchen.

"Hi Marisol." mumbled Susie, whose hands were overflowing with plastic plates, cups and utensils, stacked high on top of each other.

"Hi. Here let me help you with that." Marisol dashed forward to catch the toppling plates.

"Thanks. Glad to see you."

"Congratulations." replied Marisol, kissing Susie on both cheeks, "Can I help?"

"Thanks. Uh…yeah that would be nice, thanks. A friend of mine was supposed to come over earlier but she's not feeling too well. Oh what happened to your forehead?"

"Just had a bit of a fall yesterday. Isabella and I went to a spa that got robbed."

"Oh my God! Are you both ok?"

"Yeah, thanks. We're both fine." Marisol cleared her throat before addressing Madison, "Hey, how about a picture of you and your Mommy?" asked Marisol, taking out her camera. Susie and Madison both blushed, Marisol grinned and crouched down to get the shot, "Say cheese!"

"Cheese," they both chorused as she snapped away. She took some more of Susie holding Madison. Through the lens Marisol saw glimpses of Susie in Madison, maybe those Caine genes weren't so dominant after all.

"Thank-you." They both said when she finished.

Marisol noticed the younger woman still looked rather flushed, "Are you feeling all right, Susie?"

Susie ran a hand through her hair, "Yeah, thanks…I'm fine, really I'm fine."

"So what can I do?"

"Well…I've got the music upstairs already. The terrace is two floors up. Are you sure you don't mind."

"It's really not a problem, Susie. I've had plenty of birthday party experience with my nieces and nephews. Just tell me where everything needs to go."

"Thanks so much Marisol. Ok let's see…"

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An hour later, a slightly tired Marisol checked her watch. Horatio still hadn't turned up. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't blow off his niece's birthday, still it felt awkward to be here before him. She watched the kids sitting on the mats, enthralled by the magician. There were a couple of other moms there but she felt too much like an outsider. She couldn't help but envy them. If only Bella would get here!

"Here you go." Susie offered her a mug of coffee. Marisol took it gratefully. She held onto it for a second before wryly replacing it on the tray again. "No coffee?"

"I love coffee, believe me I do. I can't have any at the moment because it interferes with my…uh my chemotherapy and medication." She maintained eye contact with Susie and overcame the desire to look down. Somehow that hadn't seemed too hard.

"Oh…I'm…I'm sorry." Susie stammered looking away.

Marisol looked down briefly for a moment and gave a smile, "Not to worry, life still goes on. Madison told me about her own hospital stays. You have a great kid, Susie. I hope she stays well."

Susie looked at Madison, "Yeah I know. I know. I almost did mess it up Marisol, but I'm glad I didn't. When I think about it now, I'm glad Horatio found us. Madison adores him and he really gives the both of us stability." Marisol nodded, "Would you like to come and join us? I'll introduce you. " Susie gave a nod in the direction of the group of mothers.

Stop moping and start mingling her mind said. She smiled, "That would be great."

A little while later, Marisol was thoroughly enjoying herself. She wasn't made to feel an outsider and social skills had always been her strong point.

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The kids were sitting down and eating when Madison spied a flame of red coming up the stairs, "Uncle Horatio!" she squealed running up to the emerging figure.

"There she is! Madison, Happy Birthday Sweetheart!" he picked her up and enveloped her in a big hug. "Happy Birthday Madison," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. Madison looked at him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "You're looking very pretty today!" He hugged her again before setting her down. He crouched down to her eye-level, "These are for you Sweetheart." He presented the small bouquet of flowers to her,

Madison looked at him expectantly, "I didn't forget your present Sweetheart!" he chuckled, "It's downstairs waiting for you. All right?"

"Thank-you Uncle Horatio," she said happily, hugging his knees. "Come and meet my friends, Uncle Horatio." She tugged at his hands drawing him to the semi-circle of boys and girls. Horatio crouched down to their level and said 'Hi', greeting a couple of them that he knew by name. Horatio noticed a pink hemline floating some metres away, his eyes lingered for a moment before skimming down the slim legs to the delicate ankles wrapped up in strapped flats (Ah footwear without a 3-inch heel, indeed there was a first time for everything!). He couldn't help but smile as recollections of last night and waking up next to her came back to him. He was glad she was here and that he had worried for nothing. He focused his attention back on Madison.

Madison stood beside him, hands on hips, "Uncle Horatio, Bradley doesn't believe that you're a policeman. I told him you were but he doesn't believe me. So I said you have a badge. Can you show him your badge? Please Uncle Horatio?"

Bradley leaned forward intently, a look of scepticism on his face. "Um…Sure. See this is my badge." Horatio unclipped it and gave it to the youngster.

"It's not real." declared Bradley, authoritatively; the other boys nodded their heads in agreement.

"Don't be silly! Of course it's real!" replied Madison hotly.

"Now guys…You see Bradley…this-" he ran his finger over the insignia, "-this is the seal of the Sheriff's office, and you see the words here say 'Sheriff's Office, Miami Dade, Florida'. You see on a real badge, the star has to have raised ridges like these, otherwise it's not a real badge." Bradley examined it, as though an expert. He weighed it in his hands, before conceding with a nod that yes, Horatio was who Madison said he was. Bradley handed the badge back.

"See I told _you._" said Madison smugly sitting down and smoothing her dress out.

"Madison, have you seen Marisol?" The bright pink hemline that had caught his eye had disappeared.

Madison craned her neck to the side, "I think she's over there with the other mommies."

"Thanks, Sweetheart." He kissed her forehead before standing up. Horatio walked up to the group of adults, "Ladies."

Susie greeted her brother-in-law with a hug and made the introductions. Horatio Caine was given some very appreciative glances by the group. "You're just in time Horatio. The kids have almost finished. I need some help with the grill for the s'mores and marshmallows, if that's ok?"

"Sure. Excuse us, please." He followed Susie back downstairs to the apartment. Susie talked about the day and he listened happily.

"Are you feeling ok, Susie? You look a little flushed." He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

"Yeah, I'm fine Horatio, it's just the excitement." She grabbed the ingredients for the s'mores and some additional bags of marshmallows.

"Well you've done a great job, you really have. I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier."

"That's ok. You're here now. Thanks."

"Uh…yeah…I need to talk to you later about something."

Susie looked at him curiously, "Uh…ok then."

"MOMMY! Are we making the s'mores now?" asked Madison excitedly, running in circles around Susie and Horatio.

"Yep! Well just as soon as your Uncle sets up the grill."

Madison flashed Horatio a big grin. He smiled back. He had just finished setting the grill up in one corner when he realised that they had forgotten the toasting forks. He took the stairs, two at time as quickly as he could, not particularly wanting to die at the hands of some very sugar-deprived, s'more- hungry children. However he stopped stock-still when he saw Marisol emerge from the bathroom. All other thoughts other than she was his flew out of his head. She looked beautiful: the bright pink summer dress seemed tailored for her form. Her hair was up in a French braid. A lock of hair had been expertly let loose to hide the white bandage at the corner of her forehead. He had never seen her hair done up like this and it gave him a new perspective of the curvature of her shoulders and neck, a new perspective that he very much wanted to explore with his lips.

"Hi." She smoothed the hair around her forehead self-consciously.

"Hi. I…I um got your message." He moved closer to her, "I'm sorry about today, Marisol."

She brushed him off lightly with a kiss on the cheek, moving away from him immediately after it ended, "It's nothing, Horatio really."

"No, I'm really sorry, really sorry, Marisol. Something came up at work."

Seeing his big eyes and his hang-dog expression, Marisol felt guilty, she reached out for his head and pulled him closer, "Horatio, don't worry-", she kissed his lips, "-about it. No harm done."

His hand disappeared into his jacket pocket, "This is for you." He drew out a white carnation.

She plucked it from him and looked down at it for a moment, "Thank-you."

He remained silent, waiting for her.

She pushed him suddenly and quite roughly against the door, which shut firmly with his weight against it. She ran her hands up and down his torso before circling his neck. She could tell he was uncomfortable and decided to play her hand a little further. She also knew that for the moment she was entitled to have her wicked way with him and he should be damned if he didn't know that he would have to play by her rules for this one.

She saw his pupils dilate as she brought her lips close to his, torturously close to his. She could count each freckle right now if she wanted to, just to prolong everything.

The blue in his eyes was so intense that she unconsciously held her breath. She slid her leg, very slowly, up against his leg. She pushed her leg harder against him and stopped when she reached his hand, which instinctively flattened to rest on her thigh. He could feel the tautening material against his skin, delicate, any added tension would surely cause it to rip. She stretched up a little further until the fabric had no choice but to shoot over his fingertips. His fingers felt warm against her skin. Marisol felt a tingle shoot up her spine as she placed, again very slowly, a small kiss on his lower lip. It seemed like eternity to Horatio for that small distance to be closed between them and even then his mind was shouting that what she was doing wasn't fair. He couldn't get enough, every time he tried to draw her in she managed to escape and there was only so much teasing he could stand! He wanted nothing more than to pin her against the door and kiss her senseless. Marisol felt her breathing quicken as his hand moved slowly along her leg, taking its time to acquaint itself with the curvy, smooth, soft environment that she had willingly, given him access to, thinking she would be able to control herself. So much for that, she thought. She smiled coyly, her teeth biting down a little harder on him before standing on her tip- toes and whispering. "I think you have somewhere to be, Horatio."

Oh God! The toasting forks! He saw her sly smile and gave a weak smile of his own before dashing towards the kitchen, trying to desperately slow down his breathing and heart rate as he looked around for the toasting forks. By the time he found them he came back to an empty lounge and the front door was wide open.

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A while later when he had made sure that he wasn't going to die a painful death at the hands of his S'more-loving niece he looked around for Marisol who seemed to have disappeared yet again. He spied her at the end of the terrace, partially hidden by the water tank, her back to the party. Excusing himself as politely as he could from the group of women that surrounded him, he picked up a plate of marshmallows and s'mores and made his way over to her.

"Beautiful view from here," remarked Marisol casually her back still turned, eye glued to her camera. _Click. Whir._

So much for being noiseless thought Horatio who had been hoping to sneak up on her. "Speaking of beautiful," he put the plate on the ledge next to her. He placed his hands lightly on her waist and whispered in her ear, "Do you know how beautiful you look today?"

She gave a giggle, reminiscent of the previous evening's 'in the dark' session. "Yes, but hearing you say it makes me know how right I am." She had expected an awkwardness because saying 'I love you' right before she fell asleep would not, even in the worst rom-com movie, constitute perfect timing, and every guy got spooked hearing _the words_, even men with the likes of the mightily-cool Horatio Caine would experience some kind of jolt. In her experience men always had some kind of commitment issues. Now it was just a matter of finding out his, it would be impossible if he didn't.

"You weren't playing fair earlier Marisol."

She felt her knees tremble as her name rolled smoothly off his tongue. _Click. Whir._ Damn! The shot was ruined because the camera had trembled ever so slightly in her grasp. "I don't like to play fair." came her flippant reply. _Click. Whir._ What the hell was she doing? Or more specifically what was he doing to her?

He reached for the plate, bringing his arm around her to offer the goodies. "Hmm. Soooo many calories," she said the words slowly, turning around to face him. She noticed the frown that appeared on his forehead with her words, his eyes quickly skimming down to her waist. She hadn't meant to be serious at all but then she noticed how the span of his hands were just able to enclose the entire circumference of her waist. It was a shock to her system, it was more than shock – it was frightening! She hadn't realised how much weight she had lost, but right now she had some defusing to do. "Take a chill pill Horatio," she put her hand against his chest and pressed it slightly, "I'm just kidding. I could never say no to marshmallows! Besides I have a dress to fill out into, I'm not exactly…" her eyebrows darted up quickly, a quirky smile appearing on her face, "you know… allowed to watch my waist line because Bella will kill me!" She saw the furrows on his face un-crease and felt him relax, slightly, "And, you made them right?"

He nodded, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly as she bit into a S'more. Her tongue darted out to scoop in the chocolate sauce that was about to drip out from the corner of her mouth. "Mmm. That Horatio was divine."

"Better than vanilla?" he teased.

Marisol remembered her comment at breakfast and laughed, "Better than vanilla, Horatio." She put the rest of the s'more in her mouth.

He looks rather stern, thought Marisol, now what have I done? She picked up a marshmallow from the plate. "You know Marisol, you really can't eat a s'more like that!"

Marisol let out another laugh and gave an eye roll, "Right, because you're such an expert Horatio!"

He drew her closer to him, bringing his lips inches from her, "Actually Sweetheart I am. My niece and nephew can both verify that." He picked up another s'more from the plate, "You have to eat it in one go." He showed her how. Marisol laughed at his bulging cheeks. He couldn't look any cuter if he'd tried. She dipped her finger into the small pool of chocolate sauce in the plate and gave his lips a chocolate smudge.

She gave a slight pout, "Well I have a small mouth. Don't think I can fit a whole s'more into it."

"Betcha' can, Sweetheart." He picked up the last s'more on the plate and fed it to her. He pushed it further into her mouth, resting his fingers for more than a moment on her lips. He gave one final push allowing the s'more to disappear into her mouth. Amusement glowed in his eyes and flickered at the corners of his mouth as he let her appreciate a whole s'more, "I hate to say I told you so, Marisol but-" he shrugged his shoulders helplessly, the smile that he had been trying to keep from his face blossomed into a half smile-half smirk as he tried to keep a straight face – Something Marisol found too sexy for words.

She swallowed the last of the s'more and fixed an unreadable stare on him, her eyes were completely veiled.

Horatio suddenly found his back up against the water tank. He felt his head explode as her lips and tongue savagely attacked his mouth. Her body pushing and pressing against his. There was a taste of sweetness all around her that overcame him. Her leg was up, against him again and for a second he had no qualms about pushing the hemline further up. His hand picking up where it left off followed the natural curve of her leg. He felt her muscles tense. His other hand that initially clutched her closer loosened around her waist. He made a meagre attempt to push her away, "Sweetheart-" he croaked when she let him up "-Public place. Kids, people! They can see!" he hissed. All truths are relative and this was no exception: the water tank did offer some protection from the party but if anyone were to walk to the entrance of the terrace they would certainly be seen.

"I seem to recall that you said we both get off on risks, Horatio." she whispered seductively against his mouth.

Horatio quietly groaned her name and at the fact that he just didn't seem to be able to win today with her. Her lips crashed onto his again and he could do nothing but surrender as his body mutinously responded to her caresses, his mind hoping for the best. It wasn't long before his senses trampled over any control that his mind had. Her lips shifted to his neck, sucking and biting. His ragged breathing served only to encourage her.

She grasped his shoulders and pushed him away from her. "You didn't buy me another raspberry lollipop today, did you?" she asked slyly, her eyes shooting out sparks of luminous green as they flicked down and then back up, "Because you know, that is _not _me." She grinned at the ruby blush that coloured his neck. His eyes were dark with desire and she could feel the fire coming from them.

She stopped.

The abruptness with which she left him made his head spin for more than a moment. He tried to stammer out a comeback but it wasn't meant to be, because Marisol gave him another kiss, delicate, full and lingering...a kiss that hinted at unspoken pleasures. " I love you," she whispered.

His mind barely had time to comprehend her words, as his body immediately responded to the loss of contact - when his hands were drawing her back to him. He tilted her chin up, "I love you too, Sweetheart." He saw the effect his words had on her, her smile, her touch, her eyes which shone a little brighter as his heart skipped a beat. Marisol wanted desperately to say something but somehow she was too scared, too scared to say anything that may break the moment or make her realise that this was all a dream. He turned her around and enfolded her within him. "I really missed you this morning, Horatio."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there." He placed light kisses in her hair and on her cheek. One hand moved up to caress his face, while the other stayed firmly clasped in his. She closed her eyes and moved her head to one side to let him continue his kisses down her neck. Everything within in her tingled/ When he reached the hollow of her neck he stopped. "We should get back now, Sweetheart." Marisol opened her eyes and let herself snap back to reality. He was right.

"Promise me, you'll let me take some photos of you, today?"

He grinned at her, "Promise, although you have to promise to stop having this torturous effect on me," He tried to grab her but she side-stepped him and let out a laugh.

"I promise. But you know I really can't help it, you smell so sweet…mmm…marshmallows, irresistible you know."

"So are we playing fair now?"

"Never Lieutenant," she teased, taking his hands and pulling him forward for one last kiss.

"Uncle Horatio!" shouted Madison, "We're going to cut the cake soon."

"Madison has perfect timing." remarked Marisol as she pretended to snap a photo of him. Horatio grinned back wryly.

The cake-cutting went off beautifully! Madison had an 'Aladdin' themed cake and Marisol was given the opportunity of being able to take lots of photos. They all sang 'Happy Birthday' and then the kids were all given the chance to plaster Madison with some icing off the cake before being served cake and ice cream.

"Hey Madison! Happy Birthday!" said Marisol, dabbing some icing on the little button nose. Madison gave a squeal of delight and gave Marisol a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks before dashing off towards some of her friends, her own fingers coated in icing. Marisol swiped her finger through some more icing before lifting the cake up and taking it over to Susie. She had just stepped away from the throng of children who had gathered around Susie waiting to be served some cake when a pair of strong hands closed around her waist. Marisol turned quickly and drew her finger over his cheek leaving a dark line of chocolate icing. She giggled. Horatio laughed with surprise, lifting her off the ground slightly, kissing her cheek. "No hands!" she said as his hand came up to wipe it away. She giggled as his tongue darted out to try and wipe off the icing.

"You know I read somewhere that red-heads are supposed to have the longest tongues in the world." She said watching him as he tried to unsuccessfully swipe the icing off for the fifth time. He drew her further out to one side.

"I have a better idea. Why don't I just let your tongue deal with it, because obviously my tongue must have mutated." He joked as her arms climbed higher to finally rest around his neck. She raised herself on her tip-toes and let her tongue deal with the smear. When she finished, Horatio sighed, "You know tongues or rather your tongue should be classed as dangerous?"

Marisol gave him a naughty smile. "Oh believe me, I've definitely heard that one before."

Horatio gave an overly-exaggerated sigh, "Why am I not surprised?"

"I hate to disappoint Horatio."

"Of that Sweetheart, I have no doubt." He replied nuzzling her neck.

"There you guys are!" said Isabella. They both jumped. "You guys are practically hiding in the dark. I mean I know Mari loves to play hide and seek but I never thought she'd get you to play too, Horatio!" the hint in Isabella's voice was clear and she was grinning from ear to ear.

Horatio blushed again while Marisol shot daggers with her eyes at her best friend.

"Isabella how nice to see you again. Are you feeling better?"

"You mean am I out of shock Horatio? Yep I'm as good as new."

Horatio cleared his throat nervously, he felt extremely stifled right now, "I'm glad, I'm glad. Uh, I think I'll go and give Susie a hand." He squeezed Marisol's hand and then let go.

"Isabella Sorenson!" exclaimed Marisol when felt he was out of ear-shot.

Isabella burst out into a fit of laughter, "Did you see his face?" she gasped.

"Bella you nearly gave him a heart attack!"

Isabella laughed loudly, "Isn't someone grumpy! What? Was the sex disappointing Ms. Delektorsky?"

"Bella Shh!!!"

"It was wasn't it?" asked Isabella in a conspiratorial whisper, "I knew it! He seemed to good to be true. He's rubbish in bed. Oh man that's so funny! Actually wait, I don't even want to let my mind go there."

"Bella you go too far sometimes!" said Marisol, whacking Isabella's arm, "Would you just give the guy a break?"

"Ok, ok," Bella grumbled back, "But c'mon you _have _to tell me! He's terrible in bed isn't he?"

"Isabella! We were involved in a robbery yesterday-"

"Hence the need for mind-blowing sex. You know for someone who used to excel in this field I think you're losing your touch with age, Mari."

Marisol laughed. She was a little flabbergasted by Isabella's obsession with Horatio's performance in the bedroom. "Bella…"

Isabella saw Marisol's face, "Oh shit! I don't believe this! Marisol Delektorsky…you haven't…"

"You know Bella I swear there are times when I worry about your one-track mind."

"Which is why you enjoy being my friend you need someone who's mentally ill along the same lines as you."

They both laughed.

"Bella," Marisol put on a lecturing tone, "There are some things that are classed as too much information, and this is one such situation."

There were few secrets between them and Marisol's reluctance on this matter merely acted as proof for Isabella that she and Horatio hadn't taken _that step_ yet. It did surprise Bella that Marisol hadn't taken that step yet. Marisol wasn't promiscuous as she had been but Bella couldn't count on her fingers the number of relationships Marisol had ended because of what happened in the bedroom. " Anyway, kanoodeling at a kid's birthday party Marisol? Maybe you haven't lost your touch after all. Mari, It could only be you." teased Bella.

"Where is that patient fiancée of yours?" questioned Marisol wanting to change the subject. She really did not feel like discussing her sexuality right now even if it was Bella.

"That is a good question. I think he's having some cake."

"Did you see Madison? Doesn't she look really cute?"

"She really is very pretty. You know who she reminds me of?"

Marisol shook her head

"Carla Zannachi! Remember in grade school?"

Marisol bobbed up and down excitedly, "You're right Bella! Yeah she does. What did happen to her?"

"London. Something to do with Formula One racing a.k.a. Italian playgirl."

"Hi Christian."

Christian was in deep conversation with another parent, "Excuse me, Uh, Angela this is my fiancée Isabella and our friend Marisol. Ladies this is Angela, uh, she's a friend of Ms. Barnham's."

"Pleased to meet you Isabella, Marisol." she replied shaking hands. "If you'll excuse me; I think that's my son over there chasing the girls."

"Not to worry." said Isabella, "It was nice to meet you."

"Yes, nice meeting you." said Christian, shaking hands again.

"Marisol, pleasure as always," Christian kissed her on both cheeks, "Bella you know this is lovely cake."

"Christian please, do you want to get married or not? I'll never get into that dress."

"In that case I'll have your share." quipped Marisol, dishing out a slice of cake onto a serviette.

"How are you feeling Marisol?" he asked sympathetically,

"Oh I'm fine," she replied airily.

"Bella, Ms. Barham is amazing. Good choice, Darling. And this cake…mhmm." He helped himself to another piece.

Isabella rolled her eyes, "Is Susie Barnham ok? Because she looked really flushed."

"I think so." replied Marisol looking around for Susie. "How was counselling?"

This time Christian rolled his eyes, "Oh fascinating," he said dryly, "We learnt how to make a boy or a girl." Marisol arched her eyebrows and smiled. Isabella just shrugged. "You know I was thinking, maybe later you and Horatio could come for dinner with us?" asked Christian.

Isabella nodded in agreement. Marisol thought about later and decided that anything that would delay the awkwardness that would surround them when they got home was welcome. "Sounds great. I'll just ask Horatio."

Noticing that neither Horatio nor Susie were on the terrace and that the crowd of kids had dwindled Marisol went downstairs. She walked in to find Madison handing out doggy bags to her friends. She caught a glimpse of Susie in the kitchen. She made her way to the kitchen and found both Horatio and Susie in a close embrace;

"I don't know what to say Horatio."

"It's been long overdue Susie. I'm glad he's becoming responsible and facing up to Madison."

"Thank-you so much." She sobbed dropping an envelope on the counter.

"Hey, come here." He hugged her again, "You're a great Mom. You don't have to thank me for anything. We're family remember? I could never do enough."

Susie nodded against him, "That's not true Horatio." she cried softly into his neck.

Marisol felt she was intruding and backed away from the kitchen.

"Marisol would you like one?" asked Madison, holding up a doggy bag.

"Do you have any extras Madison?"

"Uh-huh!" she nodded handing a bag to Marisol.

"Thanks Kiddo. Which is your favourite?" Marisol asked peering into the bag.

Madison pointed at the big coloured ball, "Jawbreaker." she said simply.

Marisol handed Madison the jawbreaker. Madison shook her head, "C'mon Kiddo. I don't think that will fit into my mouth. You know I have a very small mouth."

Madison laughed as Marisol stretched her mouth open. Just then Horatio and Susie emerged from the kitchen.

"Hi." said Horatio as Susie turned her attention to the kids in the house and tried to shepherd them back upstairs.

"Hey yourself. So Isabella and Christian were thinking that we should do dinner later."

"That sounds good."

"Great then. They're upstairs. Christian loves cake and I don't think Madison will have any left."

Madison heard Marisol and promptly left the apartment to go check on her cake. Marisol laughed as she saw Madison scurry away. "Guess what I got Horatio?" she asked, sidling closer to him. "A raspberry lollipop!"

Horatio groaned in desperation allowing her to fall into his arms and kiss him.

"Caught in the act, again!" shouted Bella.

Marisol heard the familiar _Click. Whir._ Horatio let go of her. Marisol grabbed the camera from Isabella. "Bella if you've done anything to my camera…"

"Oh chill Mari."

Marisol felt her heart stop when she saw the picture Bella had taken. It was so perfect. Her and him completely immersed in their own world – like nothing could ever happen... right?

The answer sent a shiver shooting up her spine. And then there was black.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note 1: Well here's the next chapter. In my original plan for the story, I had planned to do it in 15 chapters but it would seem that my 'well-laid' plans have as usual been tossed aside by circumstances. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others but the good news is that I'm already working on the next one. PMT pre-menstrual tension. Thanks for reading and please leave a review if possible. Cheers!

Disclaimer: Well these characters really don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them and toying around with them. Christian and Isabella do belong to me but the others belong to CBS, J. Bruckheimer, A.Zuiker and the various other CSI:M producers.

Precipitous Problems

2 cell-phones quickly came out followed by an intermittent click.

"You carry a torch?" asked Marisol, amazed, directing the glow from Bella's phone onto Horatio.

He shrugged, "Standard issue. I'll be back. I need to check on the kids and Susie," the light cleaved cleanly through the dark.

"Miami and power cuts. Talk about the dark ages. You kn- Bella! Behave!" hissed Christian, feeling a groping hand. Isabella and Marisol both giggled.

"Are you sure that's Bella, Christian?" asked Marisol slyly.

"Ladies, this is really not fair. I must protest," Christian touched a button on his phone so that it lit up again.

"Kill it Henry. We could rape you right now, you know?" Marisol burst out laughing at Bella's mock-sinister tone, "And why in God's name are you whispering?" asked Bella in a loud voice.

Christian shrugged his shoulders. "Well if you do I'm lucky enough to have Horatio here who is the best CSI in Miami- Bella! Really now that's enough!" exclaimed Christian stepping back after he felt something ghosting past him against his navel.

"What the hell? That wasn't me. You know for an FBI agent you sure can be chicken! Mari?" Isabella flashed her phone in Marisol's direction. Nothing. "Marisol?"

"Bella, having two females in the dark, groping me is not something one needs courage for."

"Marisol!?" Bella turned around frantically, flashing her phone wildly.

"Just getting my phone from the other room. Would you relax Isabella!" A loud bump was heard, followed by Marisol yelping out a curse.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine," she muttered.

Christian pulled Isabella close, and kissed her, his hands caressing her back, "So it'd seem that _you_ like being groped in the dark?" he asked Isabella closing the distance between their lips again for a longer more prolonged lip-lock.

The lights came back to life and Isabella and Christian broke apart as Horatio came through the door, "You guys all right? The party is wrapping up now, the kids are leaving."

"Yeah we're fine," answered Isabella, she glanced around her, "Marisol is just…" Bella waved her hand in the direction of the other rooms.

"Christian, could I ask you to give me a hand with moving some of the heavy stuff? We're supposed to have another wet night, so I just want to bring some of the stuff in."

"Sure Horatio." Christian followed Horatio out of the apartment.

Isabella wandered off to find Marisol. "Mari?" She peered into the room filled with presents – No sight of Marisol.

"Oh hell!" Isabella saw pink, "Marisol! Marisol?" she called urgently, kneeling down to the prostate form on the ground, hidden by the falling bedspread and the pile of gifts. There was a pool of water to her friend's right, in the middle of which was her cell-phone. Isabella felt everything stop including her own breathing until she had turned Marisol around onto her back and felt the shallow rise and fall of Marisol's chest against her palm. She noticed Marisol's head was bleeding a little. "Christian!"

"What Isabella?" he asked concerned, walking into the room, rolling his sleeves up. "Oh no! What happened?"

"I don't know," replied Bella quietly watching him take her pulse and check her pupils. She raised Marisol's legs slightly.

"It's going to be all right babe. C'mon," He lifted Marisol up, cradling her against his chest. He staggered into the front lounge and laid her down gently on the couch, again raising her legs slightly.

Susie walked out of the kitchen. "Oh my god! What happened?"

"I just found her on the floor."

"There's a doctor on the floor below. Should I get him?" Bella nodded at her. Susie ran out the door, "Madison, go help your Uncle please?" said Susie to Madison who promptly turned around to go back up the stairs.

"Is this what she'll look like?" whimpered Bella to Christian, turning away from the ashen figure but keeping her hand on Marisol's forehead.

Christian didn't know what to say, he just put his arm around and pulled her close to him.

"What's going on?" asked Horatio coming through the door, arms laden with stuff. His eyes widened as he took in the scene. "What happened?" he asked, there was no trace of emotion. "Isabella? Christian?"

Susie hurried in with her neighbour, from the floor below, who was a doctor. Isabella rapidly explained what she had seen while he took Marisol's blood pressure. He released the cuff. There was silence in the room, when he put the stethoscope against her chest, as if everyone was trying to hear her pulse too. He started to clean the re-opened cut on her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open and a redhead cherubic face floated into her line of sight, which was now being blocked by something bright. Why were there so many faces on the ceiling? Turn the damn thing off, she thought huffily, wanting to kick Horatio for shining his damn torch into her eyes, what was wrong with the man? When it continued to blind her, her hand gripped the first thing it came in contact with – Christian's shirt. She gripped it hard and pulled, only to hear a rippling sigh around her. The light switched off and she blinked as her eyes readjusted and focused. She saw a face that she completely did not recognise and her mind blanked for an explanation as to why she was lying down. "What happened?" she murmured struggling to sit up, her hand going up to touch the new dressing on her head.

Horatio felt everything within him clench when he saw her grab Christian's shirt, wishing it had been his shirt in her hands, wishing he was the one kneeling by her side. His feet seemed dissolved in the floor; he hadn't been able to move. He felt better. Breathing suddenly became a lot easier. He saw the doctor give a quick nod to everyone that she was going to be ok.

"You fainted Marisol," chirped Madison. Susie blushed at her daughter's subtlety.

"What?" she succeeded in sitting up this time.

This time the doctor spoke. He explained she had fainted, "May I see your pills?" he asked politely.

"Sure," Marisol replied puzzled, "They're in the next room. I remember taking them with some water. Felt a bit dizzy, and then well, I guess I must have passed out," Isabella stood up to fetch them. Marisol glanced at Horatio who had been remarkably silent all this time, his head cocked intuitively to one side, deep blue staring calmly into her darkened hazel ones. She couldn't make out anything from his face or his eyes. Maybe it was just the light and her eyes playing tricks.

"Miss Delektorsky, you do know that you can't take aspirin during your chemotherapy?" came the curt question.

Marisol nodded. "Of course."

"Thank-you," he said to Isabella taking the box of pills from her hand.

Marisol ducked her head in embarrassment as all eyes turned towards her pill-box. "The light-blue one," she mumbled.

The doctor nodded. He held the pill up to the light and examined it for a moment. He sighed, "I'm not sure why you were prescribed this. It contains ibuprofen."

Marisol looked puzzled, "I was…I was given it for a fall I had yesterday. What's wrong?"

"Ibuprofen has similar properties to aspirin and cannot be taken during chemo. They're both Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs."

"Oh," she said, understanding, "I see."

"How are you feeling now, Marisol?" asked Madison and the Doctor simultaneously.

There was general laugh that took the edge off the moment. "I feel fine," she replied light-heartedly.

"Good. Well then, I can't do anything more other than take you off these. There shouldn't be any more side effects. You've only had around three, right?"

Marisol nodded, "Great! One less pill for me to worry about," she said with a smile, "Thank-you Doctor…"

"Rawlins. Doctor Rob Rawlins," he shook her proffered hand.

There was a round of thanks for the good Doctor who was offered some cake and leftovers. He declined; saying he had to meet up with some colleagues for dinner in an hour. Horatio watched Isabella fuss over Marisol, while Madison wandered up to Marisol and began to chat with her. He left it at that, not wanting to overcrowd and make Marisol more anxious. He walked Dr. Rawlins back downstairs, thanking him sincerely for his work.

When he got back upstairs, he saw Marisol waiting for him in the shadows outside the door.

"Hi."

"Hi. How're you feeling?" he tried to muster as much cheerfulness as possible.

"I'm feeling fine. How are you feeling?" she took hold of his hand and pulled him gently towards her. She felt his hand tremble slightly when their skins made contact.

"Sure you're feeling ok, Sweetheart?" His eyes lingered on her forehead.

She nodded noticing he wasn't making direct eye contact, "What's wrong? I'm feeling great, promise," She put her hand on his cheek.

He cleared his throat, lowering her hand, "Nothing's wrong."

"Horatio…"

He caught her eye-roll at him, "I'm just glad you're ok," he brushed her cheek with his lips before pulling away from her.

"If you say so," she muttered under her breath. She followed him back inside figuring that this was probably going to be one of those moments where she had no chance in hell of penetrating his mental armour.

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"So you want to order now or wait for them?" asked Marisol, sitting down at the table for four.

"How about we start with drinks, and order when they get here?" replied Christian.

"Sounds great."

He nodded at her before turning to catch a waiter's attention. Christian ordered a Scotch, Marisol played it safe with water.

"Dance, Christian?" He shook his head, "Come on, you know you want to," she teased.

"Well aren't you the expert arm-twister," he replied amused, "Ok, why the hell not? Bella's not around to tease-"

"-And you can impress her and the teacher at your next class," finished Marisol for him.

"Marisol, don't you just do a lovely job convincing! You're sure you're up for it?" he pointed to her knee and her head.

"Pssh…this is _so_ not going to affect anything." she said flippantly, standing up, "Although you're going to have to give me a minute in the mother-ship. Hair…no way I can dance with it up, like this."

Christian nodded and followed her with his eyes to make sure she reached the restroom in one piece. Marisol walked up behind him a few minutes later and surprised him by holding out her hand to him. Christian accepted her hand with an embarrassed smile.

"Just relax, Christian, it's only me, not Bella," He nodded shyly as they walked arm in arm to the semi-crowded dance floor. "Rock and roll?" she asked clasping her fingers tightly against his cupped palms. He nodded again. They began to dance and Marisol immersed herself completely in the dance: twirling, bending, flicking, trying to make Christian feel comfortable with a different partner. She was a natural and able to guide both their rhythms and momentum. They finished wrapped tightly in each other. He was more out of breath than her.

"Wow," was all he managed to utter.

Marisol smiled, "You're great. I don't know how Bella thinks you have two left feet!"

Christian blushed, "I guess I've improved," he said meekly.

Marisol laughed. "Again?"

"How about rumba?" he asked with confidence.

Marisol felt awful for shooting him down this early, especially since she wasn't giving him a sincere reason and because he was right. "Well the beat's a bit too fast for a rumba. How about cha-cha?"

"If you lead…"

"Nope, you're going to lead, Christian," she said firmly, taking hold of his hand and putting her other hand on his shoulder.

After the first turn, he trod on her toes. "I'm so sorry, Marisol."

"Don't worry. Just let it come."

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For the second time that day Horatio felt everything within him clench as he saw Marisol pull Christian firmly against her, their noses practically touching before breaking apart again.

"Why am I not surprised?" moaned Bella spotting Marisol and Christian dancing. "I swear, Horatio, she could be concussed and unconscious but she'd still be able to dance! And surprise, surprise she's not doing the rumba! I think this is our table," Horatio raised a questioning eyebrow, pulling out a chair for Isabella, she was clearly surprised, "Thanks,"

He nodded his head to say it was nothing, "You're clearly not acquainted with Marisol and dancing." He shook his head. Isabella smiled and proceeded to explain.

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A couple of hours later, Horatio and Marisol were driving home.

She leaned forward and crossed her arms against herself, staring ahead through the rain, "Don't you think it's amazing?"

"What is Marisol?" he sincerely hoped that this wasn't going to be a question about 'them'.

"The rain…The effect from the street lamps: look how the fluorescent orange highlights every single drop and the suddenly it's dark again, it's exciting! The transition from the dark just emphasises each one. The drops look like little daggers, so pointed and pure and…OH! Sorry I forgot you're the one driving," she smiled wryly at him.

He smiled back; it was a proper smile, one that crinkled the corners of his eyes. One that made her want to kiss him.

There was a long silence.

"I have a spare cell somewhere in my study. We can see if your SIM card still works,"

Marisol nodded the drumming rain soothing her. She pressed back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Her head was beginning to ache a little. She felt stifled because she could feel his gaze on her and concern radiating from him.

"Now what?" she murmured, her eyes opening as she felt the car slow down, instinct telling her it wasn't a traffic light. He had pulled up to the kerb.

"You're freezing, Marisol," he shrugged off his jacket and offered it to her to slip into.

She realised that he was right. She hadn't noticed it but her body's reactions clearly indicated she was feeling cold. "Thank-you," she pulled the lapels tightly across her neck, "Horatio, what is it? You haven't been yourself these past couple of hours."

He gave her his best, "I have no idea what you mean,' look. His insides were churning, sweaty fingers slid off the car-keys in the ignition.

"Ok, Mr. 'deep-in-thought',"

Horatio sighed, "It's just that I've never seen you eat so much,"

Marisol's eyes widened with surprise, "Excuse me?"

"I've never seen you eat so much," he repeated, thoroughly amused by her reaction.

"Earth to Horatio Caine?" she wanted to open his head up and make sure he wasn't being inhabited by aliens. Right now he seemed more erratic than a woman going through PMT on a bad day! She had never seen him like this and was unsure on how to handle it. She saw his eyebrows dart up in mock indignation and laughed. He was obviously trying very hard to distract her and it was working, "I was hungry."

"You don't say, Sweetheart, you don't say," he chuckled, revving up the engine and pulling back onto the road.

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They were in the study and there was tension. She didn't know if it was her hormones, his hormones, the stress of the past couple of days or his conflicting signals that was to blame for the heavy atmosphere between them. It was just hanging there and it was irritating her to no end. The rest of the drive had been fine, they had even joked about the umbrella again, and he had made her promise that she would let him get an umbrella for her, but then when they entered the house it was like they had been both been doused with some heavy duty cement. She understood that he wasn't a very open, forthcoming person but she wasn't like that, and the fact that she was _waiting_…waiting for her what? Her mind chided, it's not like he would make the first move, he was so incredibly shy sometimes. Her patience with herself for not doing anything was also thinning but she knew that given she had never seen him like this before, 'delicately,' was probably the only way to do it.

He sighed and slid the back panel of the phone until it clicked into place. "I guess we better charge this up,"

Oh well here goes she thought, deciding to take the lead before she went nuts. She lowered herself onto his lap. "What is up with you today, Lieutenant?" She brushed his cheek lightly, "Did I do or say something?"

He felt her hand slipping away. Something inside him screamed at his mind that he would not allow her to feel this way. He was not going to let this slip away. His hand roughly clasped hers, "No. Marisol-"

He kissed her fingertips,

"-you've-," kiss,

"-done-" kiss,

"-nothing-" kiss,

"-wrong-" kiss,

Doubt flickered in her eyes. The pleading in his eyes spoke more than words.

"Trust me, Marisol?"

There was an aura of fear that all but shimmered around him. Marisol lost herself in the blue eyes that had widened into navy orbs; it was impossible to tear herself away from their inky depths. Why did the man have to have such sexy eyes? she thought irritated. She struggled with her patience, "You know I trust you, Horatio!" she answered light-heartedly tapping his lips delicately with a finger. It was like soothing a child; she saw and felt the relaxation in his body posture. There was still something there, hidden, at the back of his mind, she could sense it, but she left it alone. He had asked her to leave it alone. He hadn't avoided the question, at least not directly. He just wasn't ready to talk about it. She let her hand remain within his

"You're not mad at me are you?" again there was this beseeching tone in his voice. He reminded her of a child so much right now that to imagine him, as the head of the Miami crimelab was nigh impossible.

"Mad at you? WHAT is going on? I'm not mad at you!"

He wished he could touch her in the same carefree way that she was able to touch him – without fear. His fear held him back, that if he did she would shatter and be gone from him. Yet he wanted to do so, so much now, here she was sitting on him for pity's sake! He gave in and allowed his lips to ghost lightly over hers. He placed his right hand hesitatingly on her cheek, she leaned into his palm; his thumb stroked the corner of her lips, his other fingers caressed her lower jaw while his left arm curled around her waist. His mind again noted the fact that she fitted so perfectly within him, completing and complementing him. She pressed her forehead against his and watched his eyes close.

"I'm sorry," the words could barely be heard. Her eyes moving straight to his lips to make sure he had spoken. His eyes were still closed. She could barely feel him breathe. The only thing telling her he was alive was the thud of his heart against her hand. She felt terrible about shouting the last words at him, could her tone have been any more of a contradiction to the words? "I'm sorry about today, Marisol, my Darling…I should never have forced you to go to the hospital yesterday, something worse could have happened. I really shouldn't have…" he trailed off. His mouth was dry and there were no words left to tell her how he felt, everything in him was in turmoil.

Marisol felt a wave of relief sweep over her, quickly followed by the desire to slap him. Damn him and his guilt complex! Marisol jerked her head away from him and stood up. His eyes were still closed. His head sagged with misery as she broke away from him. He felt his form being jerked out his chair by his collar. By the time he struggled to open his eyes he found himself being hauled across the room by his collar. His body was too surprised to launch much resistance against her efforts. She dumped him on the couch in the corner of his study. She pushed him roughly again so that he was prostrate and pinned his hands down with her own and straddled him. Her eyes flashed emerald green, "Horatio you've got to quit this complex you've got of shouldering other people's responsibilities and blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. It's going to kill you one day!"

"It's my job," he murmured before realising what he said.

"I am not your job," she said quietly, anger iridescent in her eyes. She was doing everything she possibly could to restrain herself from hitting him and letting her passionate, wild side get the better of her. Logic told her to get out of there now! He had just said that which she had feared all along but her heart was hurting and it couldn't believe he had just said that. She was hoping it was a mistake but it was numbing all the same.

"Marisol, I didn't mean that," he tried to free his hands but they were lodged firmly beneath her knees, on either side of him. The sparks in her eyes warned him to shut up. The damage caused was irreparable – Oh God! What had he done?

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AN2: Aspirin makes blood thinner and doesn't agree with chemo because metastatic cells can be transported further around the body from the tumor site. Generally speaking, one doesn't use other drugs when undergoing chemotherapy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are basically used instead of steroids to block the physiological response of inflammation, mainly the metabolism of arachodonic acid in cell membranes. Right that's the science bit done with. I was undecided about having the power-cut or the fainting (I wrote both scenarios out!) so I went for the over the top one of just putting both of them in. I hope this didn't ruin the effect. This new 'progression' in their relatioship came rather suddenly to me. It was planned to be an incredibly romantic chapter but life has made me warp this story according to my realities at the moment. I realise that some of the characters, especially H might have seemed a little out of character so I would definitely like some feedback on that if possible. Please leave a review if you can, I'd like to make it to a 100 if possible, that would just be fantastic and totally make my month!


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Happy new year everyone!! I hope you all had a very festive season. I'm trying to work extra hard on the proof-reading now that I know I have someone keeping an eye out for grammatical errors. I have taken some liberties with Frank Tripp's character but I have tried to keep in character as much as I could. Apologies to the very late posting of this chapter. Just wanted to say that this chapter is particularly for Carrro, Happy birthday!!! THANK-YOU to everyone who helped me make it to a 100 reviews and beyond - you guys absolutely rocked my socks (in a very good way, I assure you!) Thanks again and happy reading.

Disclaimer: Not mine at all!! Although it would have made a wonderful xmas present!!!

Power

She was already stalking out the study. He followed her, "Marisol, don't…I didn't mean it to sound like that."

"Horatio, you excel at making yourself understood. Don't ever let that concern you!"

The rapid change to ruler of ice-queens coupled with her sarcasm made him cringe inwardly. He loved hearing the teasing sarcasms that she spouted out at him. They amused him because they were good-natured to draw him out but not that one. She was looking for her purse and had finally found it. Gauging her intentions, he immediately reacted and put a hand to her shoulder, "Marisol, wait you can't…" her eyes flashed sparks, uh-oh, that can't be good, he thought, he fumbled for words to explain, "It's raining outside…"

Listening to him babble on only made her angrier. She walked away a couple of paces from him. At least he had the sense not to follow behind too closely. HOW DARE HE? She could damn well do what she wanted. The words were so close to being spat out at him…close…oh so close! She wanted to do it so much. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. Her own hands balled into tight fists to restrain herself. Oh, screw it all!

"Whatever Horatio," she mumbled walking out the door.

He ran out after her into the pouring rain, "Marisol, wait!" he yelled. She threw him a disdainful look over her shoulder, continuing to walk to the end of his street, "Marisol, I'm sorry," the words were drowned out by the rain.

She lifted her hand to hail a cab. She looked over at him, that little voice of reason telling her to stay. Telling her it was a mistake; that she understood how he had meant it, that she had had the exact same argument with Eric about his protectiveness and worrying. But as always the little voice was issued in vain, as everything else in her screamed 'hurt!'. For God's sake were there no damn cabs in this neighborhood. Ah! Finally! Had she gotten the idiot's attention? Good.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Why did it have to pour buckets today? Boy, God must really have it in for me! What - was there no one else to pick on this weekend? She yelled the thoughts out in her head, which was at this point a complete quagmire of emotions, surfacing and sinking at speeds faster than thought; A whirl of power that in its purest form can only be felt.

He did the only thing his body seemed able to do to make her understand: He pulled her to him and kissed her hard, backing her up against the taxi that had come to a stop behind her.

She gasped and whimpered under the pressure of his lips on hers, succumbing at once to him, allowing him access to her mouth. She lost herself for a moment in his flashing blue eyes. The kiss became wilder. She blinked in surprise, not used to having him be so rough, almost brutal, to her. Her mind reeled, "Horatio," it was a struggle to even get his name out, his lips were forced tightly against hers, "Don't!" she drew in a sharp breath and tried to push him away, her hands slipping on his wet skin. She saw his eyes change back to their normal shade as if he seemed to have come back to his senses. His hands loosened around her, the roughness of his kiss softening immediately. She took the opportunity to again push his face away from hers and slip into the waiting cab.

"Drive!" she barked at the bewildered driver. She sighed loudly.

A minute later she let out a giggle and the cab driver looked back at her with alarm. Another giggle escaped; had she just experienced unbridled passion from the oh-so controlled Lieutenant? Marisol, think straight! Why was she imagining herself in bed with him right now? That fire in his eyes as they both moved together…What am I doing? This really is not the time! Her mind focused back on the anger and gone were any of the lighter thoughts she had previously had of him. She turned around and could through the falling rain make out his rapidly fading silhouette. She didn't need his form to be any clearer to pick out his sagging posture and drooping head. She just could not be around him right now, not when she was so angry. She wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. Tears she had not, before, felt falling.

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That was it.

She's gone, said the hollow voice inside him. He glanced around him and spied a face peering out a window. Another house had a couple of more lights switch on. Just great! Now he was going to be neighborhood gossip after living here for seventeen years and not causing so much as a squeak. He watched the taxi make a left and slip into the flow of traffic. What had gotten into him? His heart was still racing and his chest heaving - each breath coming out as a labored gasp. He turned away tiredly and jogged back to his front door, which was wide open – there was water everywhere. He squelched his way to the study but stopped in the doorway. He couldn't bear it right now. It was too painful - the sadness and aching in his chest. It hurt too much. His eyes lingered over items in the room. He could feel the tension dissipating slowly, being replaced with heartbreaking melancholy. His eyes came to rest on the couch. The blue irises flamed into liquid fire. He wanted to burn the couch. That couch - that had been a friend to him for almost a lifetime: During his bachelor days and his marriage…it had been a constant. An item, he had an argument with Raymond over when Ray graduated from the Academy and got a place of his own. It was his one happy remainder from his childhood.. One of the rare items from his childhood allowed a physical, meaningful presence in his home (the rest of his salvaged childhood memories were organized neatly in boxes, in his basement, that hadn't been opened since they'd been packed) and now…

…he wanted to burn it. Wait, wait, wait, wait…. Slow down Caine…You're blaming a couch for some garbage your mouth threw out. Real smart Caine, real smart! He had to find her. She had to know how he felt…. she just had to…otherwise his head had been right all along. He desperately hoped it wasn't. He didn't want it to be right, like it had been about so many other things in his life. He began accusing different parts of himself for the words being a conspiracy against what his heart really wanted but ended up going around in exhausting, mental circles. This was getting ridiculous. He really should find her! She was supposed to be staying with him for a couple of days – he was responsible, at the very least, for her safety. Right now, he didn't want to call either Isabella or Eric. It had obviously been a big deal to Eric for Marisol to pass him over for her lover. And now he had just…. fucked it up…there was no other word to describe it.

He threw a change of clothes into a bag and drove to the one place he thought she would go to, given the turn of events and the weather - her memories that she had told him about from the previous night might break out. He waited it out by Mi Casa point, praying that she would show up.

The seconds dragged into minutes that limped into hours. He began to feel restless, unable to walk it out because of the rain. The restlessness began to gag him. He started hyperventilating as his mind ran through a hundred different scenarios, each assaulted by a memory from past cases he had worked. The painfulness of regret sent his head spinning. Sitting down, he couldn't focus on anything ahead of him. He groped for the handle and tumbled from the car, sinking a little in the mud. He sucked in a breath of air but still felt oppressed. He stood up and took out his handkerchief to wipe the thick mud from his hands. He began to pace. It was hard at first, squelching through the heavy mud and slipping on the few blades of wet grass. He struggled a little, concentrating on his balance and pushing his frustration and desperation into staying on his feet and walking. He continued to pace, feeling better with every turn, oblivious to the rain and unwilling to give up hope that she would come here.

The rain stopped after an hour but there was still no sign of Marisol. His slow growing panic was morphing into desperation, quickly. His head felt hot while the rest of his body felt cool from the drizzle that started up after intervals. He knew he was a mess and his half-skewed reflection from the car merely confirmed it; His shirt was rumpled and half-hanging out of his trousers. His trousers were a mess: from the mud streaks near the pockets to the muddy hems at the ankles. His shoes didn't even look like shoes anymore! His face had aged years in the space of hundreds of minutes and his hair was lackluster, the fire gone from the copper strands and cornflower blue eyes. As daylight came slowly, his mind took pity on his anxiously beating heart, forcing him to give up his wait and be logical – he had hurt her.

The power he had in his hands over her made him tremble with fear. Protecting her was one thing, but protecting her from himself – he couldn't do it.

All he _could do _now was wait for a sign from her. He had no other option to follow without making the situation worse. He just hoped to hell (since God obviously did not figure in it) that she was ok and had spent the night in a safe place. The Miami sun began to rise on the horizon and he could feel the humidity begin to steam from the ground. He returned to the car. He remained unconcerned about his half-wet clothes, knowing the car was due for servicing soon anyway, and drove to the lab.

When he reached CSI he headed straight for the men's locker room to take a shower. He had just come out of the shower when he began to shake uncontrollably. It stopped as soon as it had started. He was just putting on a fresh shirt when he felt his muscles begin to spasm again and he felt the temperature of the room dropping until his hairs stood on end. But that was impossible, he thought, he had just come out of the shower. He continued to shiver from being cold for some moments. His head was beginning to ache. He finished dressing and went up to his office.

On the way, the night-shift officer, at Reception, caught his attention by calling out to him. He handed the Lieutenant his respective messages. Horatio gripped them tightly as he trudged up to his office. Sitting down, he eagerly read through them; quickly dismissing ones that did not bear her name. He was finally rewarded because in the middle of the pile he saw 'M.Delektorsky' on the ID line. The hope that had buoyed up on seeing her name immediately sank upon reading the message: _'With Isabella Sorenson,"_ that was it – nothing else.

He wildly thought of something to clutch onto as hope. Maybe she hadn't said anything else because this was his work-place but then he thought of her last message about him being a liar after his little incident with Viegas at the club. The words of the message brought a small smile to his face but that was soon gone because he knew she wasn't shy about leaving him a message. Maybe she would still call him later…Maybe…

Disappointed, he started reviewing the case-files that the team had been working on, but it felt more like a distraction than work. His eyes kept flicking to his phone every so often, imagining it had vibrated and made all the more disappointed of being wrong. Still, his mind struggled to concentrate on the papers in front of him. The headache began to pound into a migraine. His eyes lost focus for a moment. He shut them and leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He opened his eyes and looked at his watch: It was just gone 6a.m but his caffeine fix already seemed overdue. When had he gotten so dependent on his coffee? Maybe he was getting older and his will weaker; 3 years ago he hardly drank the stuff! It was all Eric's fault! Him and his cafe cubano, 'that could burn a hole through your stomach', according to Speed. Horatio smiled at the recollection before remembering the Delektorsky connection. The smile faded quickly.

He sighed and stretched out his lethargic muscles. It immediately set off the shaking and shivering again. He curled onto his side and crossed his arms tightly against himself, which made things more awkward as it was being done in a chair.

Oh please! His immune system could not possibly be ditching him too. He really couldn't afford to get sick. His mind wondered, guiltily, how good it would feel to have Marisol hold him now and how much he wanted her, forget that, needed her to hold him right now. To have her arms around him, stroking him gently. Her cheek next to his, feeling her warm blush seep into his skin when he teased her. Her lips on his neck, kissing him and driving him crazy. Damn that even! All he wanted was to see her and be near her if nothing else. The pang of being alone, utterly alone shot through his heart with an intensity he had not felt for a long time.

He could feel a fever beginning to wreak havoc in his joints. He really should get some Aspirin and go home...home? No, he couldn't go home, he just couldn't. With this realisation came the determination to work.

He walked out of the break-room after pouring his second mug of coffee and nearly walked headfirst into Frank Tripp.

"Morning, Sunshine," drawled the Texan.

"Francis," came Horatio's cringing reply.

Frank guffawed loudly, "Well aren't you turning out to look like a regular battlefield these days?"

Horatio touched the scratch on his cheek self-consciously.

"Really Horatio, do I have to teach you once again how to shave, man? And if that's the state of your face, I'd hate to think of the state of your back!" finished Frank with a wink.

Horatio felt his cheeks flame at the detective's innuendo. This was getting ridiculous, he wasn't supposed to get flustered at such a small thing. Normally he would have shot back a glib reply and smoothly avoided the subject of his private life. He touched the small scratch again. He knew where had had got it from – he had felt the cold rain sting it as she had pushed his face away and slipped into the cab. He didn't think it would be this noticeable. He could feel his temper rising at having to justify the scratch and hunt around for a cover-up excuse.

Frank noticed his friend's silence, "Horatio?"

"Hmm? Frank?"

"Are you ok?"

"Me? Hmm…fine. You're here early."

Frank jerked a thumb up towards Horatio's office, "I was just coming to get the paperwork on Harrison. Governor's been pestering the DA on conviction rates. The DA's on the Chief's back to move faster, and he's breathing down our necks."

"Yeah, right, I just finished it and it's a solid case. We should get him."

Frank nodded somberly. There humor in his eyes replaced with concern, "Are you sure you're ok, Horatio? You look pale and you're shaking." Frank pointed to the visibly trembling coffee mug in his hand.

Horatio shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, "I'm fine," Frank placed his hands on his hips and cocked his eyebrows up at Horatio, almost daring him to lie again. On any other day, Horatio would have had no problem in deflecting even this most serious of glances but today he wasn't quite up to it, "Ok…" he admitted, "I feel a bit under the weather."

Frank's face twitched into a smile of victory at getting Horatio to admit he wasn't feeling well but he knew that there was something more, actually something almost lovesick about the Lieutenant. He was a betting man and if anyone had offered, he was sure that he would have won, hands down, in thinking Marisol Delko featured prominently in his friend's thoughts right now, "I've got some Amoxicillin back at PD. I can get some for you, if you like."

Horatio shook his head, "I have Zithromax in a drawer, somewhere…" he gave a wry smile, "Although it's probably expired by now."

Frank smiled back - a little relieved that Horatio's humor was slowly coming through. He followed Horatio upstairs to the Lieutenant's office. He noted Horatio's behavior: the imperious scrutiny of his cell-phone to make sure he had no text-messages, missed calls or voice mail. He also noticed the scrap of message paper all twisted and scrunched up, bearing '_Delektor-'._ But that was all, as the rest of it was hidden from his view. Aah! So he hadn't been wrong after-all. Now what could Horatio have possibly done to have a major fight with a woman he was clearly falling in love with? Sure couples fought but Horatio and Marisol were not just any couple. He knew that if Marisol were even half-related to Eric, she would have to have a hot temper. But Horatio was not one to provoke… He noticed Horatio had somewhat lapsed into a daze, "H….paperwork? Harrison?"

"Hmm…" Horatio blinked a couple of times, "Of course," he began to shuffle through the files on his table.

Frank waited patiently. His intuition and experience of women suddenly brought insight: Mixed communication! Crossed lines. Whatever you wanted to call it – that had to be it. Women were surely from Venus, actually make that a planet more distant, try Neptune! Because they sometimes just took words _completely the wrong way!_ "Thanks, Horatio," he said taking the proffered file. He walked towards the door, "I'll see you later, Horatio."

Horatio gave a smile and nodded, lifting his mug in thanks.

"OH! And Horatio, call her, will ya' sunshine?!" He chuckled at Horatio choking on his coffee and left, after waiting for a moment to make sure Horatio had no unfortunate choking accidents.

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Half-an-hour later, Horatio Caine was feeling worse. He had indeed taken Frank's words to heart but her phone was still at his place and it was still far too early to call Isabella's. He had searched his drawers to indeed discover that not only had his Zithromax tablets expired into discolored powder, but that he didn't have enough for a full course, anyway. He was tempted to ask Alexx when she came if she could prescribe him some but he put it out of his mind. He didn't need his ME having a discrepancy on her record because of a prescription that she couldn't authorise, not with the lab under scrutiny. He'd just pass by the Doc's office during his lunch-break. He began to cough: it was a dry cough that an hour later had become a thicker, chesty cough. Just bloody great! he thought angrily as he scribbled his signature at the bottom of a page. Just then his phone began to beep. He enthusiastically reached for it, everything in him saying it was her. He was about to rejoice in hearing her voice, when to his immense dismay he saw it was 'Dispatch'. Frustrated, he carelessly dropped the phone onto his desk again. He stood up quickly; his breathing became elevated causing him to cough some more. He crossed over to check his equipment before heading out to the Hummer.

On his way there, he tried to be as 'normal' as possible to the various 'Good morning Lieutenants' that came his way, but it was by no means easy. Ryan Wolfe hurried up to him to ask him something and he was able to, surprisingly, think straight and give the young CSI his opinion. 30 minutes before shift started and the CSI was already here. Not surprising given his OCD. He didn't expect Eric or Calleigh to be in yet.

Frank caught him near the reception, "Horatio. I'm working on this one with you. It's in my neighbourhood. Initial report from the on-site rookie makes it look like it's a robbery gone wrong."

Horatio nodded promptly, his mind smoothly changing gears, his body struggling a little to keep up. They walked quickly towards the car-park. Horatio's sunglasses were already on, keeping the strong rays at bay. They were halfway there when he stopped in his tracks. Clearly, he was going insane because now he was imagining hearing her saying his name – but he was proved wrong. Thankfully he was not going insane because Frank stopped too.

"Horatio?" The relief in the voice was clear. He turned to the source of his name and felt his heart soar. She was walking briskly towards them. He felt the most idiotic smile break out onto his face. Clearly it hadn't been too early to call Isabella's. He felt his heart falter a little as he took in her appearance when she soon caught up to them. To be fair, she did not look like the picture of calm beauty he was used to seeing; The pretty, pink dress was crumpled, an edge or two marked with dirt. Her eyes looked as tired as he felt, and a little wild. Her lips were ever-so slightly swollen but not noticeable enough to anyone except one who was so intimate with them and had caused it. His heart shrank as his actions, last night, came back to him.

Frank noticed Horatio's quietness and coughed softly. He gave a warm smile of his own as she approached them, "Morning."

Marisol looked confused at Horatio's small nod before replying in a friendly tone, "Hi. I'm Marisol Delektorsky," she introduced, her hand reached out to shake Frank's. She looked at Horatio whose smile had folded itself back into the lines of his face. His sunglasses added to the sombreness of the atmosphere between them. She had anticipated that this wasn't going to be easy. Trying to be as subtle as possible and mustering a cheery voice from the back of her dry throat.

Frank interrupted her with a small cough of his own. He certainly didn't need a cue to vamoose, the strained silence between the couple was enough, "I'll get Wolfe, Horatio."

"I'll meet you there," replied Horatio.

"Pleased to meet you ma'am," he said to Marisol with a smile, taking a couple of steps away from them.

"Pleasure, Sir," she responded in kind.

They were both quiet.

"Why don't we come over here?" he gently took her arm and led her near the shaded garage. She started at the contact. Different thoughts filled their minds as to why. Hers: how his touch could still induce sparks and make her warm and tingly. His: he must have hurt her, last night, God knows he hadn't meant to be so rough with her. He ran his eyes over her form to look for any other signs of his uncouth behaviour. He had guided them to where he knew they would be partially hidden by some palm trees.

"I hope CSIs like doughnuts as much as cops," she said, offering him the box of Krispy Kremes.

"Aah, so that's how you've managed to avoid getting convicted all these years," he joked back weakly. His mind blanked as to what to say next. A few minutes ago he had been dying to see her or hear her voice and here she was and…and he had lost his voice. "Um…thanks for the doughnuts. I have to go but-" he paused for a moment, his eyes darting to Frank's back, "- how about we have lunch together: Old Man and the Sea? Two-thirty? I just need you to know right now that I'm sorry. We can talk then. Ok?"

She was a bit taken aback with his abruptness and mentally scolded herself for not expecting this, "Sure. I…um, I have some things to do anyway. Should I just meet you there?"

"If you like," he replied, stepping closer to her. He slipped his sunglasses into his pocket and leaned in, his cheek brushing hers, to whisper in her ear, "Wait for me, Marisol?" He felt her nod against his shoulder, "Thank-you, Sweetheart," he whispered again. He drew back, leaving a warm kiss on her cheek, and walked away to the Hummer.

She leaned back against the trunk of a palm tree and took a deep breath. He had just completely un-nerved her. She had come ready with a well rehearsed apology only to have him leave her more worried than before. Two-thirty seemed a long way away. She hadn't failed to notice his fatigued eyes, flushed complexion as she drew nearer to them only to have him leave her paler than she had ever seen him. His saddened eyes spoke more of his heart than his words. It sent a stab of emotion through her heart. But most of all she hadn't failed to notice the angry, red streak on his left cheek that fit perfectly with the chipped nail of her right index finger. Marisol Delektorsky felt a leviathan surge of guilt, ripple through her. Her heart made flimsy by the inexorable thought that she had the power to make him this unhappy.

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Author's Note 2: Amoxicillin and Zithromax are both quite potent antibiotics. I hope y'all don't feel like this is being dragged on for too long, because I promise it will be over in the next chapter so bear with me! I've not written much in the angst genre in any of my stories, so I hope this was ok, as far as angst goes. Thank-you for reading...hope you enjoyed it.


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: I think there was a misunderstanding - there's still a long way to go with this fic. Not quite finished having my fun with these characters yet. The fact that the interim between these updates gets longer and longer is not a good thing - but that's my fault. Hopefully you all find this chapter worth the wait and that most loose ends for this story arc have been tied up. Hopefully things pick up after this because it's summer and term is almost over yipee!! Thank-you for your reviews and feedback, much appreciated as always. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: As per usual, they are not mine. I'm sure after reading this far by now you've got the idea.

**Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps**

"Sorry I'm late and thank-you for waiting," said the deep voice behind her. It sent a shiver down her spine.

She turned around to face him with a smile, "Well, I'm out of pills, you still have my phone AND my favourite jeans so you know... I couldn't exactly leave."

She caught his delayed reaction to her weak attempt at a joke, "Kidding Horatio!" she exclaimed, "Kidding," she said more softly this time.

Caught off guard by her friendly tone and smile he quickly looked down, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. He managed to stammer something indistinct back.

She took his arm, concerned about him. Well there was no use prolonging the agony they were probably both going through on her account, she thought. "Wanna walk?"

"Sure."

They began to walk down the path leading to the nearby marina. She kept her hand closed around his arm. She could feel the muscles in his arm clench spasmodically and she guessed by the lumps at the side of his trousers, that occasionally brushed against her, that his hands too were clenched into fists. They both instinctively stopped when they reached the beginning of the railing that ran along the canal.

"Are you ok?" he asked, removing his arm from her grasp with a soft shrug.

She bit down on her lip. Her expression was a mix of emotion - hard to read and the moment became awkward.

She reached up and slid his sunglasses off his face. She folded them and slipped them into his shirt pocket and felt the low thump of his heart through the fabric. Her hand stopped for a moment against it before slipping away. The azure blue of his eyes was not the blue she was used to seeing. They had been transformed to a darkening sapphire shade and almost seemed foreboding because of how tired and resigned they looked – no wonder he hadn't wanted to take the sunglasses off. His eyes looked a little swollen, like he'd just had an attack of hayfever. He sighed and seemed to sag against the railing for extra support. "Horatio, talk to me," she took his hands – they were ice-cold and rigid. She rubbed them gently within her own, "Are you ok?"

He gave a quick glance around them to make sure they were alone. He separated their hands and then raised his fingers to trace out the edge of her bruised lips. She instantly recoiled from his icy touch, "Marisol," he said tenderly willing himself and her not to look away, not now when he was so close. It was too late for him to be a coward, now, "I really didn't mean to be so rough and hurt you, yesterday. I'm sorry." He let out the massive sigh pent up inside, "I don't know why I…I said…well you know. It wasn't meant to come out like that but it did. It's maybe too late to take the words back but I can only hope that you will understand how I meant it-"

"This isn't fair!" she burst out petulantly, breaking eye contact with him and crossing her arms against herself, "Why do you always get to say 'Sorry' first?"

Whatever Horatio had been expecting to hear from her, that was not it.

She pulled him closer to her through his belt. She wanted him close when she apologised so she could read him as easily as he seemed to read her, but first… She raised her lips, expecting him to meet her halfway with his own lips.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to kiss you yet."

"What do you mean you're not allowed to kiss me? The last time I checked, I was the only one who had permission over who has access to my lips and who could kiss me," She had been taken by surprise by his comment and had a nagging feeling that Eric had something to do with this comment. If it was Eric, oh was he going to be in trouble.

She threaded her fingers through his belt loops and pulled him closer again, frustrated by his hesitancy. He glanced around them… but _damn it! _She didn't care anymore about the people around them that could be watching, or the fact that she was making Miami's finest blush like a school-boy in public. She could feel her emotions mirrored in the tension radiating off his body. "Horatio, what the hell is going on with you?" she bit her lip, unhappy that the question had come out like that. She saw him lean further against the railing, his face gradually turning paler. Her hands balled into fists at her sides as her temper rose. She crossed her arms against herself.

"Well I'm not feeling well and I'm not sure if it's ok to be around you in case you catch something from me. Just something Doctor Rawlins mentioned about the drugs affecting your healing and low immunity because, uh, low immunity…so…oh God Marisol! I don't know why all I do know is that I don't want to hurt you anymore."

God help her! What was it with this man and protecting? Just let it go Marisol, came the little voice at the back of her mind, he's just concerned about your safety. Hell! you don't seem to worry half as much as he does.Exactly my point! she argued back. Besides he's the one not feeling well. Jesus, he looks worse than crap! Only because of your foolishness, echoed her conscience bringing back with it a strong echo of her earlier guilt. She had to be patient. She had argued it out with herself last night that if this – 'they' was going to work then she had to be patient. Her nature and genes meant she wasn't a patient person but if being with him meant her blowing one less fuse, hell it was worth it.

As her mind flew around these thoughts she failed to noticed Horatio feeling around his pockets for the tablets he had been prescribed. He was annoyed to find that he had left them in the car in his eagerness to see her. Marisol suddenly read him and caught his hands as he began to collapse. He gave a low groan as his knees hit concrete with a hard thump. He rested for a moment before his hands gripped her wrist tightly as he struggled with himself to stand up.

She rubbed a hand across her forehead, "Horatio, we're doing this all wrong. It's becoming way too complicated." She stepped up to him and curled her arms around his neck to pull him into a hug, "Horatio," she kissed his cheek, "I'm sorry about yesterday. You know, I'm not sure how you became a CSI but can't you tell or even feel how very happy being with you makes me? Look, yesterday what happened - I overreacted. I shouldn't have but I did. I let my temper get the better of me, and it was out of line." she gripped him more tightly, "I'm sorry."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground slightly, he heard her giggle with delight, "I'm sorry too, Marisol," he whispered in her ear, "for everything…" and kissed her cheek.

He leaned her against the railing, her feet still off the ground. She raised her head off his shoulder and clutched his face gently, to look him in the eye, "See we were complicating things as adults do. So it's done and dusted and we're moving on, ok mister?"

"You bet Sweetheart."

He let her lean in for a kiss. It was slow, and deliciously sweet. She started with his lips first, gently sucking and pulling with her teeth. She tilted his face so she had better access to his mouth. Her tongue, moved into his mouth in degrees, advancing and retreating as she kept his own at bay, until he finally allowed her full access to his mouth. Their tongues curled and danced around each other with heat and intensity. He found himself holding her waist too tightly and slackened his grip. He shifted her higher up so that she could have the control that she wanted over him. He didn't dare blink or close his eyes for fear of losing this moment and her. God! She looked so beautiful. He felt his heart beginning to hammer in his chest as he realised that he desperately needed to breathe but really didn't want to stop her to stop kissing him.

As if reading his body's needs she roughly broke the kiss. There was a big smile on her face as she tried to catch her breath, "Think you can hold me up for a little longer?" she challenged.

"Anything for you, Marisol." he responded, ignoring the slow growing ache in his arms.

She gave him an even bigger smile before her lips came crashing down onto his.

Moments later, both were gasping for air. His face was bright red partly from embarrassment, partly from exhilaration and partly from lack of air. She hugged him again as they both waited for their breathing to slow down and their chests to stop heaving. He gently lowered her down. Her hand gently closed down on his fist. He slowly opened his fist to let her fingers slide through and gave her a shy smile. His eyes, she was glad to notice, were back to sparkling blue that she loved.

"How about we go home and skip lunch today? You're not feeling well. I'm sure I've got some meds to treat you with."

"Sounds like a good idea." He said warmly, squeezing her hand and leading her to the car.

* * *

"Mmm…Mmmm….Mmmm. Something smells really, really good." said Horatio, sneaking up behind her and encircling his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek.

She turned around, smiling. But then her mouth dropped open in shock, "Wow, you're such a geek!"

He pretended to look insulted, "What? These are my best pair!"

"Boy, do I know what to get you for your birthday then," she mumbled.

"These are my 'sick pyjamas'," seeing her bemused expression he explained further, "They were a gift from my wife. I mean my ex-wife."

Marisol eyed them rather critically again, "Oh well at least she's got some good taste – Ralph Lauren, very sexy, although why they designed something so hideous is completely beyond me. He sniffed as Marisol eyed the purple bordering on fuchsia pyjamas dotted with neon yellow polo players with distaste. The whole thing, she thought, clashed ridiculously with his red hair, damp from the shower.

He hoisted himself up onto the countertop and watched her. He felt his stomach bubble with hunger and give an angry growl at the sight of her coating the hot delicacies with sugar.

"How you feeling?"

"Much the same as before. Sick but not sick," he gave another sniff.

"Blatant attention seeker," teased Marisol.

"Can't help it sweetheart. You seem to have the strangest effects on me. Besides, first time for everything, Marisol."

"Now that I can believe." she said turning away from him to get a plate.

She came back and stood on her tip-toes to press her cheek against his, her hands busy once again, "You're still quite hot."

"Why thank-you. Now that one I've been told before…from women other than my ex-wife."

She sighed, her mind reeling with surprise at his openness, "Of that Lubimiy, I have no doubt. I'm just surprised no men have told you that either."

"Now I never said anything about that because you've never asked," he answered with a smirk seeing her stunned expression.

"You've been asked?" she inquired incredulously. He nodded. "What did you say?" she asked, fascinated.

"I said in the politest way possible that I'm only interested in women. But that their comments were flattering."

"Aww, Lubimiy. That's so you -"

"Lub…what?"

"Tell you later what it means. Anyway you and Bella do have something in common now. Except she wasn't as polite because of the shock of getting asked," she said with a grin, "We were in a club and I was dancing with some guy and she was too but then within the crowd she was grinding against a guy and she got so carried away with the music that she failed to notice the change in partner until a nail started to scrape the inside of her thigh and she felt a perky pair of breasts pushing into the back of her. And man did she just FREAK out!! She became really paranoid about her sexuality after that."

He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head ruefully at their antics. He continued to watch her. She placed a steaming bowl of soup next to him. "Have some of this. You must really be hungry."

"Thank-you Sweetheart. What are those?" he pointed to the plate of browned, sugared, cigar shaped pastries.

"You don't know?" she asked, genuinely surprised. He shook his head, taking a sip of the steaming soup. "Churros - for dessert. My mom is the only one who knows how to make them. I mean I know the recipe but only my mom can make them like this, she puts in extra ingredients. Sooooooo I stole the ones she made for Eric. All you have to do is fry them and sugar them, and of course then eat them. They're just divine."

Horatio felt his mouth water as he watched her drizzle some maple syrup onto them. "You did all of this in two hours? Am I allowed to have any?"

"Of course! I made them for you. The oil and the fact that they're fried might mess up your throat a little more, but you're already sick right?" She turned away pretending to busy herself, so he wouldn't see the guilty look in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, when you say you 'stole' Eric's, what exactly did you do?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "Horatio, that normally means, 'took without permission,'. Honestly and they say accountants have crappy vocabulary," her phone began to vibrate on the counter, "Speak of the devil."

"'Ola,"

"Marisol, did you take them?" asked the angry voice at the other end.

"¿Que?"

"Mari! My churros that mama made!"

"Oh those. I borrowed them."

"Marisol, borrow implies that I'll get them back. How do you propose to do that?"

"I can puke them up for you right now if you like."

"Sis! You're disgusting."

"Oh relax Eric! Why need them for something kinky?" she heard Horatio choke on his soup and giggled.

"Oh wouldn't you just like to know?" he shot back.

"Eric…busy…anything else?" hearing him stutter on the phone, "Stop acting like such a baby. Call me if you need anything. Love you. Ciao." And with that she hung up on him.

"You just hung up on your brother, Marisol." he commented shocked.

"Actually Horatio," she smiled knowingly, "He was busy. I could tell. He was stuttering and groaning."

"Oh…" came his pathetic remark before a crimson blush swept up his neck.

"So you obviously don't like doughnuts. Remind again how you became a policeman?"

He smiled, embarrassed, "Actually, I can't remember what I did with the ones you gave me today."

She rolled her eyes, "Well that's because you never took them from me in the first place. It was like whoosh! You were just suddenly gone and my peace offering was still left in my hands. So I did the next best thing – gave it to Eric."

Horatio took a bite of the buttered roll she handed him and then said, "Frank was surprised that you and Eric share the same genes."

"He knows Eric and I are related?"

"Sweetheart, you know we're not detectives and CSIs for nothing," he said trying to suppress the smile that ached at the corners of his mouth.

She smiled back, "I don't have to guess... because I know Eric can be rude – the price you pay for being spoiled as the youngest,"

Horatio laughed, "You're too harsh on him sometimes,"

"Funny. Bella says the same thing,"

"I'm glad she and I have found something to agree on, other than sexuality. Besides, I think it's the youngest's right to get spoiled. No, they just had a misunderstanding. Eric's intentions have always been good, if a little misguided, when it comes to Frank."

"Horatio, he's _my brother_ of course he's _misguided_," the way her eyes twinkled made him give into his smile even though his facial muscles ached in protest.

"Maybe you should have been the CSI, Sweetheart."

"Maybe Lieutenant, maybe," she teased, leaning over and giving him a kiss on his cheek. She stepped back to survey the churros before washing her hands in the sink. She came back to him and leaned into him, giving him a cuddle. She let her head rest on his chest.

"Have you eaten?"

"Uh-huh, I had some soup earlier. Is it ok?"

"Sweetheart, it's more than ok! Better than the soup I make," he said with a happy sigh, remembering his earlier day-dream of wanting her next to him and fussing over him. He kissed the top of her head as she nestled further into him. He began to stroke her back and offered her some of his roll. She took a small bite. They remained silent - holding and resting against each other as they waited for the churros to cool down.

"You didn't spend the night at Isabella's did you?" he asked out of curiosity rather than possessiveness.

Marisol focused on spinning the bottle of maple syrup.

"Marisol?" he lifted her chin up.

"Well it's not like you exactly behaved, either Horatio." she retorted. "No, what I really did was go on a crime spree and then visit a strip joint." she muttered sarcastically before seeing the hurt look in his eyes. She chided herself but not before the following slipped out of her mouth too, "Come on! does it really matter. I'm ok all right? That's all that matters. Trust me."

"You know I do sweetheart, you know I do."

"Ok, that's enough about yesterday. It's done. Besides I still have to make it up to you for getting you sick." He shook his head ruefully, "and we really should put something on your cut, or rather my cut."

A little while later, when she thought they had cooled off enough. She pulled the plate towards them and squirted out a pool of maple syrup. She picked up a churro and dipped it into the syrup before lifting it up to his lips to try. Missing his mouth and dabbing his cheek instead, she leaned back to improve her aim. She could see from his face that he really liked them. After he finished the first one, she did the same with the second, but this time he caught her hand.

"Sweetheart, you've got to let go of this guilt complex you have," he mocked gently, not wanting to upset her, but at the same time wanting her to realise that he knew what she was doing. She blushed, guiltily under his stare. "Marisol," he cupped her cheek and lifted her face so that she could see his smile, "You do realise I'm in love with you?" However he wasn't ready to go as far as to struggle to put in words that the power he had in his hands over her sent his mind spinning with shock every time he thought about it. Never had his relationships ever been this intense.

She picked off imaginary loose fibres from his pyjamas afraid that she was actually dreaming, "I'm sorry again for all the crap I've put you through. I've been selfish but I'm going to try and be better."

"Sweetheart, you're the best thing in my life at the moment and I really don't want that changing anytime soon".

She ran her hand along his pyjama clad arm and gave him a bright smile, "I love you too Horatio Caine."

"Now, I think that's the best thing I've heard all day," he chuckled pulling her closer to him and holding her gaze, "You're biting your lip, again," he whispered, their lips close, foreheads resting against each other.

"I remember someone telling me about it being a bad habit. I've been trying to stop." she commented with an eyebrow raise.

"Actually, I said 'cute habit'."

"Did you now?" her hand moved up to push some of his 'desperately needing to be cut' fringe back as his grin widened. She couldn't help but smile too as he finally pushed his face forward and kissed her lips gently.

"You want to try something cheesy?" she asked when they broke apart.

"How cheesy?" he asked suspiciously.

"Like Hollywood rom-com cheesy,"

He laughed and nodded.

"Ok then. I've always wanted to this." She picked up a churro and fed him one end while she began to eat the other end. He rolled his eyes but played along.

When their lips finally met, he began to tease her for the last piece but she was not about to give up so easily and duelled back with her own tongue and teeth. She finally gave up and pulled back from him, laughing uncontrollably. Her mouth was still half full. He joined in with her, feeling better every time he laughed. He allowed her to lead him towards his bedroom.

He leaned against the doorframe watching her as she rummaged for something in her purse that she had dragged along with them. His eyes widened with surprise and distaste as he saw what she brought out.

"I thought Madison would like them," she said innocently opening the box.

"Sweetheart, while I would do almost anything for you…That-", he pointed to the offending object, "-is where I draw the line…You, you, you just can't!" he exclaimed, backing away from her only to have his leg collide with a chair.

"Careful Horatio, you might need two." She said with a smile, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Marisol, no, no. No! Of all the band-aids you could have bought for 'Madison', you had to pick one with pink butterflies. I'm pretty sure, I have some normal ones in the bathroom. Besides, I really don't think I need a plaster for something so small."

She continued to advance upon him, pushing him down to the bed and kneeling between his legs. "I'm being punished aren't I?" he asked meekly seeing her sparkling eyes.

She laughed and stood higher on her knees so she was in better reach of his face. He felt a warm sensation traverse through his body at the amount of attention he was getting and almost, just almost felt ashamed and guilty but at the same time incredibly happy. She peeled the strips off and fully concentrating on what she was doing applied the band-aid to the offending wound. He whimpered lightly as it made contact to which he earned a comment of being a big baby while she earned a kiss in return.

"Stay please, Sweetheart? For a little while?" he asked when she had finished.

She nodded and drew back the covers for both of them. Before either of them realised what was happening, they were in each other's arms. He ran his fevered hands over her. His hot lips soon began to spread fever within her body. She moaned softly, her hands slipping under his ridiculous pyjamas. Her hands stopped abruptly; his skin was burning under her fingers. Her mind was craving for that final physical bond with him. She needed him. Her body began to twitch, in all the right places, for his touch. Her mind was unwilling to acknowledge him being sick as her body continued to rub and arch against him. Her creeping hands lightly tickled his chest. His mouth was still pressed and probing against hers; there was gentleness punctuated with a sudden ferocity that had her moaning and arching for more. Her lips twitched against his with longing to move everywhere across his body and find those secret pleasure-sensitive spots that she knew he must have. His hands clasped her waist, rolling her on top of him. His hands quickly undid the knot she had tied her hair up in, while her fingers nimbly unbuttoned his shirt. Her legs automatically dropped to straddle him, her hands clamping down hard on his shoulders. He whimpered softly into her mouth and there was a momentary flash of pain in his eyes. She stopped again, realising her nails were getting the better of his pale, freckled skin. Her lips shifted to his skin. She kissed the angry red flares before sucking his skin softly. She moved her lips lower down his torso and heard his breath hitch. She smiled, her hands massaging his skin

He began trembling and she stopped once more. His big, darkened eyes looked bewildered for a moment. "Horatio, while it would pimp up my ego to no end knowing that I am the one making you tremble like that, I know I'm not. Your fever is much too high and you need to rest." she lightly dropped to his side on the bed and pulled herself up to his eye level.

"What?" he croaked huskily seeing her smile.

"Nothing," she replied, her smile broadening.

He began to wind one of her falling tresses around his finger, "Liar,"

She shook her head, her smile now showing sparkling white teeth, her eyes twinkling with fun.

"Do tell now, Sweetheart," he coaxed, gently tugging on the strand wrapped around his finger to pull her closer.

Their lips were again inches apart and it took Marisol every gram of will power she had to not kiss him again and to get the images she had of ravishing of him out of her head. She decided to compromise and allowed herself the liberty of inching a fingertip up his torso, "I was thinking…" she whispered huskily, fixing her eyes on him.

"Mhmm, what were you thinking Marisol?" She was stalling, he could tell. Her eyes were getting a naughty glint.

His gravelly voice did nothing to soothe her but make her senses tingle with desire for him. "I was thinking that perhaps…you, Horatio Caine are really not helping my case of hair loss by pulling."

"Perhaps. But you're still too beautiful,"

She rolled her eyes at his comment, although deep down she really did love hearing the words, even if they were only words because all that she needed from him, she felt in his look, his touch, his kiss.

Right now he looked a long way away, lost in that rather brilliant mind of his. He continued to twirl her hair. He had now pulled her down so far that she was resting one hand against his chest to stop herself from collapsing onto him. He didn't know why he wanted to know so desperately what she was thinking.

Perhaps it was because he felt light-headed from his fever,

perhaps it was because he could still feel his heart racing from their moment ago,

perhaps it was the way the tip of her nail was lightly grazing his navel,

perhaps it was the coy smile on her face prompting him.

Anyway, he just wanted to know. Was there anything so bad in that?

"I was thinking that if you need to get sick to let go like you have been then you need to be sick more often." she quickly got up and left the room while a stunned Horatio Caine was left with a smile on his face.

* * *

She passed by his room about an hour later to check on him after tidying up the kitchen and having a shower. She saw his eyes open as she was about to switch off the lights, "Still awake?"

He nodded sleepily, his eyes unfocused, "I was thinking,"

Now that was never a good thing, she thought to herself.

"Sweetheart, I don't ever want to fight with you again."

She walked towards the bed, "Really? It was kind of fun… Horatio! I was kidding! I don't want to fight with you again either," she lifted the sheets up and saw his knees tightly pressed against his chest. She picked up the blanket she had brought from the spare room that she had slept in the day before, and settled it on him. He held onto her hand and it was enough to tell her that he wanted her next to him, "But you know we will."

She flicked the lights off and hurried back to the bed, her eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness.

"Perhaps."

He shrugged at the prospect of inevitability, his eyes closing for a moment.

Ever the diplomat, she thought snuggling closer to him and kissing the underneath of his chin. His skin was still too warm for her liking. She heard him sigh softly and kissed the underneath of his chin again for a bit longer. Well, this wasn't what she'd planned on when she first got to sleep in a bed with him. She forced the negative thoughts out of her mind. As if reading her thoughts, he gave her a small hug. She shivered thinking it was weird how he did that sometimes or maybe it was all just perfect coincidence!

He felt her shiver and hugged her closer to him so she could share his warmth.

"Horatio."

"Hmmm…" was the sleepy murmur she got in return.

"I'm being serious about this, but you better wake me up if you need anything! Because I will not have your dudes out on a witch-hunt for me if anything happens on my watch." Wait! Had he just let out a giggle? Was that even possible?! She felt the corners of her own mouth, involuntarily swing up.

"Sweetheart, you sound like you've been taking notes from my M.E. Alexx Woods. Never thought I'd hear those words under my own roof, 'if I need anything!'" he mimicked letting out a mock 'hmph' for emphasis.

"Consider yourself warned Lieutenant Caine," she joked back.

"Yes Ma'am," came the mocking tone above her.

"Now go to sleep, and no more talking!"

She felt him shudder against her but this time she was sure that it was from trying to stop himself from laughing and not from his fever.

"Am I allowed to say goodnight?" he asked after a short silence.

"Huh? Oh right, forgot about that. Yes you're allowed to do that. Goodnight, Horatio."

"Goodnight, Marisol," he whispered, low in her ear.

Marisol didn't know whether to strangle him or kiss him for being able to turn her on again, with a whisper even when he was sick.

* * *

Marisol jerked awake a couple of hours later, her hair damp and clinging against her face with cold sweat. No she wasn't falling but clinging tightly to Horatio, who was still fast asleep. No thought came to her as to why she was awake at…she pushed herself up to look at the alarm clock…3.27 a.m….then the cold memory of falling came back to her – a cold hard floor, blood, and Eric's brown eyes filled with pain and sadness. She collapsed face down onto the pillow with a low groan and started counting to 500. At 490 she was still awake. She turned around onto her back and slammed the pillow onto her face and began to count backwards this time. She reached 1 and was irritated to find herself still wide-awake. She heard Horatio shift beside her, letting out the occasional snore. Not knowing what else to do, she carefully got up from the bed, trying to disturb him as little as possible and hoping that he wasn't a light sleeper like Eric.

It was pointless! her insomnia these days was getting ridiculous. She hadn't slept in 4 days now. She found herself pacing the landing outside the room and afraid of waking him she went downstairs. After drinking some water she sank into the sofa. She really wanted to put some music on to help her drift off but she resisted. It wasn't that she wasn't tired; she could feel exhaustion in every part of her body but her mind was still active as if she'd been downing espresso shots all day. It was buzzing and refused to be quieted down after the events of the past few days: the rollercoaster of emotions from feeling happiness,

Anger,

Despairing sadness,

And finally - subliminal love. She loved being on cloud 9, she'd been there before, which girl hadn't? but she had let herself fall from it far too quickly.

But this time was different.

This time, she had learned from her mistakes.

This time she was not the girl she had been.

This time, hopefully she was stronger and hopefully wiser.

She was used to dealing with a lot, and in her younger, healthier days this would not have posed such a problem but at this time in life it was killing her. She thought about Blanca and her parents and the 'I told you so' expressions she would get if she were to tell them about any of this. And Eric…well Eric had too much going on in his life making her 2 cents really un-necessary at this time. Her little brother had grown up way too fast since he had started his job as a CSI. She relaxed further into the couch turning her thoughts to Bella and Christian and Isabella's visiting parents brought a smile to her face. She would have to take the Sorensons out before the wedding.

"Everything ok, Marisol?" he asked sleepily, switching on the lights. He had been watching her in the dark hearing her sigh deeply.

""I think we need to ask, if you're ok? Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm ok." He sat down and rubbed his legs, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, "Can't sleep?"

"Exhausted actually," she replied laying her head on his shoulder and pulling him back to rest on the sofa.

"What's the matter then?" he took her hand within his.

"Nothing, just can't sleep."

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…" she mimicked back.

He pulled her on top of him, "Would this help?"

"It might," she giggled, daring him with her stare to finish what he had started.

He enfolded her completely and lay down with her gently stroking her arms to keep her warm.

"Better?" he whispered in her ear.

She pressed a kiss to his lips, "Much." She turned away from him and rested in the crook of his arm. He nuzzled her and tried to comfort her the best he could while she tried to fall asleep. She tried counting again and found by the time she reached 169 her eyes were closing. She let herself go this time.

He waited until he felt her relax completely within his embrace before allowing himself to fall asleep – happy and in love.

Lubimiy - Russian word for 'darling,' or loved one.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: So having a bloody bad day acted as catalyst, making me throw work out the window and sit down and finish this overdue chapter (way overdue, I know!). So this one is a bit of a mix between a song fic and normal prose, I thought I would add some variety. I've really toed the rating here and be warned that it does get steamy. As always, happy reading and thank-you for the reviews from the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to CBS, et al. (Apart from Isabella though). This particular song belongs to Carlos Santana featuring Dave Matthews.

Translations

Hermano – Spanish for brother

Lubimiy – Russian for darling

Keeping time

"You – go workkk…" she grumbled sleepily, a hand coming up to stave off the strong rays coming through the glass sliding door. She turned around, head sinking further into the darkness of the sofa. Bumping noses with someone else beside her made her suddenly jerk awake with rising panic that she was supposed to be somewhere today. A faint knocking on the front door merely confirmed the thoughts running through her head. _Damnit!_ She was going to be late, she thought, shifting quickly only to end up falling on the floor. _Damnit!_ That bloody hurt!

She scrambled up to find Horatio still asleep. His light snoring filtered through sleepy haze.

And then she glanced at her watch…DAMNIT!

She ran to the door and fumbled with the locks. She threw it open, grabbed the duffel bag from Eric's hand, gave an irritable 'tsk', held 5 fingers up to him and left him standing there with an outstretched hand and a broad smile.

A stream of curses in 3 different languages ran through her head as she scampered to the bathroom to get ready.

--

A still smiling Eric shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against his boss' wall. He knew Marisol would be at least 15 minutes. She had left the door slightly ajar and he couldn't help but peek through. His boss was nowhere in sight and that seemed very unusual and rather convenient. He slipped the 'Get Well' card from the lab onto the side table along with some files that needed his approval. Eric smiled thinking their work couldn't be more of double edged sword. He leaned back, repeatedly knocking his head against the wall as thoughts of his sister and boss ran through his head: They had known each other, what? About 2 months now, maybe give or take a couple of days? No doubt Mari would know exactly how long. What really made him doubt everything was how so much had happened in such a short span of time – both good and bad. She was so close to being in remission. Her last consultation had gone well and her doctor had been very positive that they would get everything in time. He was willing to concede that Horatio had been good for her. She was happier and more positive and more importantly – confident of herself – just like the old Marisol she had been.

"Ready?" he asked, his smile reappearing as his sister tried to walk out as serenely as she could out of the house.

"Did you find my work bag?" she asked, walking quickly towards the car. He nodded.

"Enjoy mama's churros?"

"Is it possible not to?"

"How's H?" he enquired when they reached his car.

Marisol looked at him and shrugged, "He still has a temperature and his throat is pretty bad."

"No doubt you'll make him feel better."

Her brother's double entendre was not lost on her, and she gave an eye roll before slamming the car-door shut after her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back feeling fatigued.

"Sorry Marisol." He said thinking that for once he may, _just may_, have taken it _a bit too_ far.

She grinned, "No it's not you. I'm just a little tired."

The playful comment that sprang to Eric's lips was coughed down as he thought of his own tiredness.

"Everything ok l'il hermano?" she asked affectionately, waiting for the quip that never came.

Eric slowly and deliberately gunned the engine and shifted into gear, "Mari," he kept his eyes focused on the road, "Natalia and I aren't seeing each other anymore."

She tried to muster the most sincere 'Oh' that she could, given that she hadn't really liked Natalia. No, that was wrong; she seemed like a nice lady, she just didn't seem suited to Eric…Eric was….he was...Eric…Eric was just not meant to be with her.

She listened sympathetically as he told her about how the relationship had just fizzled out and how Wolfe had asked her out.

"What happened to Ryan and the other girl? The pretty one that changes hair colour a lot?"

"Valera. They're taking a break at the moment too. Apparently a pretty big fight."

There seem to be a lot of those going around these days, she thought to herself, her mind instantly thinking back of the past couple of days with Horatio. What? Was there a full moon around or something? Or were all their female hormones strangely in sync with each other?

"What about your blonde friend, Calleigh?"

"Huh? Oh Cal, she's been working late the past couple of days so maybe she and Eliot had an argument too. I'm not really sure. Since everyone has been fighting, what about you and Horatio?"

She stayed silent, "I guess it does extend to everyone then. Did he hurt you, Marisol?" he asked, his tone hard.

"No Eric, don't be silly."

Though, she was surprised that Ryan had asked Natalia out for dinner. Maybe it was to get back at Valera…but then what about that whole 'bros before hoes' line she had heard used numerous times. Not that she knew Valera to be a 'hoe'. Nor the fact that there was the 'sacred' rule about dating an ex. She asked Eric about it.

"Well we're not exactly friends are we, Mari? More like friendly competitors. Besides I said that he could."

"Wow Eric, that's pretty childish. I mean you want to make Natalia the rebound girl? The poor guy has been there over a year now. When are you going to give him a break? Horatio would never dream of anyone trying to fill Timothy Speedle's shoes, but he did need another criminalist."

"Talk about jumping ship." The bitterness was clear.

"We've done this before," she sighed, "I like Ryan, Eric. This bitterness isn't good for your job. You have to try."

They both sank into stony silence. An idea popped into Marisol's head, she would ask Eric about it later.

Eric sighed, "I told him he was 'cleared for landing'."

She rolled her eyes at their male lingo, "Well then, you can't really blame her. She probably went out with him to spite you for such a stupid comment." Marisol gave a loud sigh herself, 'We're three girls, little brother, and how you still manage to mess up…I have no idea!" This time she smiled, "I would have thought you would know all the dos and don'ts by heart after watching your three sisters do it all."

Eric chuckled, "Women are from planets much further than Pluto. Us men will never perfect the art of pleasing you."

She giggled and turned her eyes heavenwards, "Amen."

* * *

She tried to close the door as quietly as she could, only to turn around to find Horatio sitting up on the sofa, a sleepy look on his face.

She conceded a grimace, before giving a sheepish smile, "Hi. How you feeling?"

He smiled, "Hi. Feel better. I thought you ran out on me again-"

"You didn't get my message?" she asked, frowning in concern.

"I did eventually, when I remembered how to access my voicemail." She relaxed a little at his joke. "You shouldn't have let me sleep so long."

Rolling her eyes, she sat down next to him, "You needed to rest, Horatio."

He gave a smile that turned into a smirk, his head dipping down to avoid her eyes. She realised she was beginning to get irritated by that smirk of his. The smirk that said he alone knew exactly what was good for him. "Seriously, Horatio." Her firm voice, faded when she saw how hard he was trying to hold back that smirk again. "Fine." She looked at the folder in her bag and stood up.

His hand came to rest lightly on her hip to hold her back, "I'm sorry."

She took his hand in hers and sat down again, "It's fine. I get it, really."

"Really?" he asked seriously, an eyebrow going up.

She leaned in and brushed her lips against his, "Really." She let his gaze penetrate inwards, as far as he wanted to, "Now, how about I make you dinner?" she took his hands, pulling him up, with surprising strength he thought, to his feet.

"Sounds good to me."

His cell-phone began to beep. He frowned as he looked at the caller ID - 'Private'.

"Hello?"

"Horatio!"

He covered the mouth-piece, "Uh…Ah, excuse me I need to take this."

She let go of his hand, "Sure." She moved to the kitchen, hearing the warm 'Hi,' he gave as he slipped out to the veranda to take the call. She watched him through the glass partition and saw something different in him: he was smiling boyishly. Not that gorgeous, shy, boyish smile of his but rather a smile that shone through with child-like happiness, like he was talking to a child-hood friend. This was unexpected, surprising, and it made her insides turn warm and squirmy and to put it straight – happy, just plain and simple happy. It struck her as odd that she had never thought about Horatio and his friends, or lack of them. It seemed everyone looked to him as a brother, more a member of the family. Whoever was on the other end seemed to be good for him. The fatigue was gone and there was openness in his body language: No secrets. He swivelled around to meet her gaze. He smiled and she couldn't help but smile back.

She had just started to mentally put a picture together of what he would have looked like when he was younger, on the brink of leaving adolescence, the bright blue eyes that never seemed to dim. Her thinking was interrupted by her own phone ringing. Caller ID showed 'Eric'. Perfect, she thought – he couldn't have picked a better time to call about tomorrow.

* * *

"Sweetheart. Time to wake up." He rubbed her shoulders trying to wake her up.

She slapped his hand away and cursed him. She turned away, her hand pulling the pillow closer to her and her body curling further into the fetal position.

Amused but not willing to give up so easily he continued with his efforts to wake her up. He soon stopped and was contented instead to watch her sleep. He felt he had been given a chance to appreciate her natural beauty. Appreciate he did, with slivers of sunlight punctuating her body as the blinds were half done and bouncing lightly in the early morning breeze. Her face held pictures – dreams he was sure he would never have; peaceful, serene, everything his sleeping images were not. He let out a heavy sigh.

She had seemed strange and distant last night. After his phone-call with Raymond, he had come back to find her cooking an omelette and filled with nervous energy. She had picked at her food at dinner, hardly eating. Her meds had been swallowed wildly and she insisted on spending the night in his spare bedroom. He couldn't help but think that he had done something wrong in the brief conversation they had had when she came home.

Deciding to change strategy, he switched sides. He wanted her to know, to know everything he felt for her. One hand was placed under her sleeping cheek and his other hand rested around her waist as he pulled her in, his lips gently lacing into hers. It had the effect he wanted because she immediately opened her eyes and kissed him back. His tongue seductively grazed against the roof of her mouth. She pulled him down on top of her allowing him to do everything he wanted to persuade her to wake up. He held his weight above her, the lower half of his body still hanging down, inches from the floor. Her hands clenched against his collar as she let out a deep sigh, her lips connecting more fully with his.

"Enough to wake you up?" he asked. He gave her his most winning smile hoping this would make her wake up on the right side of the bed.

She felt herself get lost in his eyes and her hand moved of its own volition to the side of his mouth to caress his smile. "You're amazing." She said, raising herself up to kiss his lips briefly. She collapsed down immediately feeling weak.

"Coffee?" he asked, realising that he still didn't know how she took her coffee.

She looked away from him for a moment, her hand still on his face. She turned back to him with a tired smile, not what he had wanted to see. "Sure. But only half a mug." she said.

"Ok, then." He wondered if she'd gotten much sleep. It didn't look like she had.

He left her to get ready. She turned around onto her side watching the sun filter into the room. She was trying to relax but a wave of depression followed closely by a wave of anxiety kept sweeping through her.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ok?" He looked at her bouncing leg with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, fine, fine." she hummed along to the tune playing on the radio, her fingers drumming on the ledgers.

There had rarely been such an awkward silence between the two. He cleared his throat a couple of times, trying to think of something to say or to make her say something. She seemed to be in every other place other than the car, merely a handhold away.

She grinned as Rick Astley's 'Never gonna give you up,' came on. "Uh…can I?" she asked, gesturing to the volume dial.

"Feel free."

She turned the volume up. "You must have heard this song, Horatio."

"Yes, a long time ago."

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say good-bye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you." She sang in a teasing voice to draw him out. She was happy that his fever had gone down, but he still didn't look very well…not that he would even think about it. He insisted on feeling well enough to go to work. Men were men - that hardly ever changed. When it came to the male species there was a thin line between dedication and stubbornness.

He smiled back to indulge her, not really feeling like joining in and making an idiot of himself over long-forgotten lyrics.

"Javed and I used to sing this to each other all the time." she said a little sadly, "It used to be so funny when we did it because he tried to put on the deep voice. He never pulled it off, even when he was high." She giggled at the memories.

He gave a weak smile, a little swell of jealousy rising in the pit of his stomach at the same time. He pulled up to Il Covo where she was starting her day. Rick Astley faded away on the radio.

She didn't open the door straightaway. She fumbled for some moments with her sling bag. "Are you going to be ok?"

His hands dropped from the steering wheel. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, "I'll be fine, Sweetheart. I promise I'll go home if I feel worse. Are you ok? You've been acting a little strange."

She tacitly ignored his question letting go of his hand and reaching up to his face to take off his sunglasses. This time he gave her a genuine smile: amazed that her taking off his sunglasses was becoming such a regular occurrence, and that each time he was powerless to resist her. Her hand rested behind his ear, stroking his hair back. "Are you sure you're ok?"

He gave her his best 'I'm puzzled' look.

"Just a feeling."

"I'm ok, Marisol." he whispered.

"Ok Sweetheart, if you say so," she mocked back not believing him for a moment. She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, "I'll see you later, then."

She opened the door and her legs were already out the car when she felt his arm curl strongly around her waist pulling her back for a kiss that landed squarely on her lips, "I love you." he whispered between kisses.

She smiled against him wanting to reassure him, now realising how her comments about Javed may have sounded. "Me too." She tried to re-assure him as best she could with a final kiss. Hopefully he would realise it all tonight - that she was always going to be completely his.

* * *

"Hey!" she feigned surprise at seeing him as she walked into the house. Eric had mentioned to her that Horatio had gone home early again.

"Hi! I was just about to call you and ask if you wanted a ride home."

"I'm just surprised you're home." she said, kissing his cheek.

He shrugged with a smile, "Just thought I'd take you up on your advice."

She walked further into the house and saw the files in his office, on the way to the kitchen, "Well it seems like you brought your work home."

He stood right behind her as she filled herself a glass of water, "I'm sorry, Sweetheart."

She swallowed some pills down before turning around. She looked him up and down seeing that he did look rested and his work clothes were unusually crumpled. "No, I understand." She took a sip of water, a thoughtful look on her face, "Do you still have a lot more to do?"

He shook his head from side to side, "A little more."

"Ok, then we can work together then." she pulled him with his hand, leaving his other hand around her waist.

She sat on the sofa in his study while he sat down behind the desk. Her phone came out to be used before being put down on the small table. She started out by ruling lines on the ledger page. He picked up a pen and scribbled his signature across the document. She was soon buried in her work, her fingers tapping away at the calculator.

Horatio looked down at the trace report. The words on the page were swimming, his mind refusing to concentrate, instead he found his gaze wandering to her seated form and simply observing; the knot she had pulled her hair into was slowly coming down, strands escaping as the seconds ticked by. Why couldn't he keep his eyes away from her? He shuffled his papers around to bring back his focus. Staring intently at the page, some meaning began to seep into his head. He read it over a couple of times to make sure it was correct and then added his signature to the bottom.

He was coming to the end of the case-file when she stirred lightly. His head snapped up, his eyes focusing immediately on her as she tucked a leg beneath her. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he looked down again only to look up again and see her biting her lip and her forehead crease slightly as she leaned forward to check something.

She suddenly spoke, "You're very distracting Horatio Caine." there was a smile, "I don't know how women in the lab get their work done." He looked away, blushing at the fact that he had been caught peeping, so much for covert stares. He was consoled by the fact that she was distracted too. "How does taking a break sound?"

He nodded, figuring that it was unlikely he would get any work done while he was in the same room as her.

"Beach?" she asked jerking her thumb in its general direction.

"Whatever you want, Sweetheart. I just need to get a mug of coffee."

"Well then," she took his arm, "Let's get percolating."

He chuckled at her words, shaking his head as they walked to the kitchen.

Her phone vibrated and she stepped away from him to take the call, motioning him to carry on without her. She lowered her tone, "Hi Bella."

"Mari, how much longer are you guys gonna be? It's going to be ruined if you don't get out soon."

"Ten minutes, promise. Then you guys do what you have to do." She listened to Eric's comments in the background, "Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I really do."

"Mari, don't worry, we're going to call it in soon." Isabella giggled at something Eric had mumbled. "Ok now, hurry up Marisol."

"Ciao," murmured Marisol before hanging up.

She entered the kitchen relieved to see the coffee almost ready. He noticed her stare, "Everything ok?"

"Hmm? Yeah, fine, just a friend on the line. I didn't recognise the number, so thought it was work." He picked up the jug and poured the thick black coffee into a mug. "Cubano huh?" she asked with a smile.

He smiled to himself as he poured, "On certain days I'm absolutely hooked onto it. No thanks to your brother for that."

"What can I say?" she giggled following him to the veranda, "Misguided...my brother…the plan to take over the world with café cubano." she commented conspiratorially.

They kicked off their footwear before walking out into the cool evening. He looked at her bare shoulders, "Do you want to wrap up."

"No I'll be fine. Do you want to put something on?" she put her hand against his head to feel his temperature.

"No I'll be fine." He teased back, taking her hand and leading her onto the beach.

It was twilight and they both walked in silence, each leading the other intermittently from sinking sands near the water to firmer footing near the palms. After 20 minutes or so, she sat down and patted the spot next to her. He carefully put his half-empty coffee mug on a raised mount of sand.

"That bad a day at work?" he asked, allowing her to lean into him, wondering at the reason for her long silence.

She fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt, "No, not really. What about you?"

"A couple of new cases. It's mainly the paperwork that has piled up."

"Oh, the paperwork that haunts, huh?"

"You bet. It is the bane of my professional life. It just never goes away." The arm around her shoulders pulled her closer into him, "I bet paperwork makes your day."

She laughed, "As an accountant: it always does. As a human being, it drives me nuts sometimes."

He laughed with her. Turning his gaze to the view in front of him, she said the words he was thinking; how beautiful it all was. He couldn't remember being on the beach during sunset in recent times. He found himself unable to control the thumb now stroking her lips.

"You're cold."

"Ya don't say genius." She snuggled up to him, "Maybe I should have listened to you."

"Maybe?" he asked a hint of cockiness in his voice. He felt her tickling him in response and squirmed away as her fingers travelled over his scar through the thin fabric. "Sorry, you're out of luck. I'm not ticklish."

"That's just very convenient," she muttered, "Who isn't ticklish? Besides you just became squirmy."

He laughed again. Silence crept over the pair.

"Horatio. I think I'll go home tomorrow. Eric said my apartment was released today."

"Oh." He breathed in, "You know I've loved having you." He wondered if it had to do with yesterday and waited for her to say something and when she didn't, he just had to ask, "It's not me, is it?"

She raised her head off his chest to look at him in the fast disappearing twilight. He saw the same look that she had on when he had offered her to come stay at his place, "Of course it's not you! I don't want to impose on you anymore." She remembered that smirk of his, "I know it must be hard to live with someone when you haven't done so for a long time."

"Marisol, you're not imposing," he sighed impatiently, "You were never imposing. I wanted to you here."

"You can't always protect me like this, you know." she commented quietly.

"I know," he said in a hushed, resigned tone. He knew she was right. He was being selfish. She pulled him closer for a kiss. Her hand slipped under his shirt, moulding his warm flesh.

"Ma'am this is bordering on indecent exposure." he whispered huskily as she straddled him to kiss him.

"It's all about living dangerous Lieutenant," she kissed his neck, her hands moving against his now-exposed chest.

Conversation begin to drift in their direction; a child's laughter and a parent's teasing voice were becoming louder.

She immediately stopped kissing him and rolled off him. They both laughed at the interruption.

As they climbed up the stairs from the beach, Horatio heard a car pull out nearby. Probably someone from the lab, he thought, reaching for his phone.

"Something wrong?" she asked, noticing his frown. She desperately hoped he was not getting called out to a crime scene.

"I'm not sure yet. Hang on for a second, ok?" He checked his phone. That was strange, he thought, no messages or calls. He looked into the dark house, "I'm pretty sure I left a couple of lights on."

IDIOTS! Marisol found herself holding her breath while she waited for him to make a connection. She felt a giggle rise up as she watched him creep quietly to the door, listening intently for intruders. She wanted to laugh now, and turned away from him to smile to herself. He noticed that she wasn't close behind him. "Marisol -," he whispered. He was going to warn her when she turned around to him with a broad smile. He had the feeling that something was very wrong.

"That was so funny." She walked past him, slid the door open and pulled him inside.

"Surprise!" she called.

The confused look on his face disappeared as he surveyed the front room: his coffee table was set for two. Two big cushions, that weren't his, served as chairs. The smell of something spicy and tantalising drifted from the kitchen, making his stomach realise he hadn't eaten in hours. "How do you always do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make me love you more than I should."

"So you like it?"

Sweetheart, it's wonderful. Remind me to thank your little helpers. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Tonight is all about you. I'll just give you ten minutes to get ready."

"Can you be ready in ten?"

"I'll bet you a surprise if I'm not."

He laughed, "Your loss. I look forward to receiving your surprise then. Although," he gestured to the scene before them, "This is a wonderful surprise. Thank-you."

"Like I said Lubimiy, tonight is all about you."

"You know you still haven't told me what that means."

"Darling in Russian. Or at least that's as close as it gets to English." she said taking his hand and kissing his palm. He shook his head, bemused but touched by the view he was presented with. It explained so much about her erratic behaviour over the past couple of hours. It really did seem to perfect, he thought naively, but then he remembered how they got here in the first place and realised that it wasn't that perfect at all.

* * *

He was uncorking some wine when he heard her heels tapping towards him. He turned around. Was it possible that the only thought going through his head right now was that he wanted to ravish her? To physically find that love he seemed to have for her. He could practically smell the pheromones of her sex appeal. Not surprising given the lack of skin the sexy black number she was wearing covered, her every pore was practically oozing it. And yet it was hard to imagine her in any other clothes apart from what she was standing in. She seemed so suited to the dress, almost as if it were a natural part of her; sexy, charming and very Marisol-like.

She saw his face, "You might want to put the corkscrew down before you hurt yourself, Horatio." she said glibly, her arms crossing against her chest, an eyebrow arched waiting for him to respond.

He blinked a couple of times to make sure that what he was really seeing was what he was really seeing. He swallowed quickly, remembering what he was about to say, "You're ninety-five seconds late, Marisol."

"You're such an idiot sometimes," she smiled, "Which woman ever gets ready in ten minutes?" she sidled closer to him, hips swaying, "Or, ever keeps her promises about time?" She was close enough to hear him breathe now, one more step, "Or, did it ever occur to you that I did want to lose this particular deal?" she pulled his lower lip out in a teasing kiss. "Breathe Lubimiy," she reminded with a whisper, before smartly clicking away into the kitchen.

She walked out holding the large dish with an oven mitt, "Horatio, how long does it take to open…" The rest of her question about the wine died on her lips when she saw he was nowhere in sight. Now what could have possibly happened?

She saw him come out with a different coloured shirt and a hastily knotted tie. "Horatio, what on earth? I was serious about this being all about you."

"I was feeling a little under dressed." he remarked.

"And what part of 'me wanting to make you relax,' don't you get?"

She gave his tie her full attention, carefully unknotting it. His hands were on top of hers trying to stop her. It wasn't a matter of brute force here, but perseverance.

"Relax!" she commanded, pulling the tie down sharply and choking him. "Although, you do look sexy in one." It was only when she kissed him that his hands loosened. Control was ebbing away as he took her into his arms feeling the sheer, silky black material slither and fold into his grasp. It wasn't rocket science to feel that she was wearing nothing on her upper body apart from the sleek, black material, to feel the hardened nubs of her breasts against his heaving chest.

This time she was the one in control. "I think dinner is getting cold."

"I agree," he replied taking her hand and leading her towards the cushions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening was enjoyable, amusing and romantic. There were long moments of silence between them, allowing their attraction to build to static tension relieved by the casual brushing of fingertips as they connected - sparks flying, the circuit complete.

"So this surprise?" he asked as they cleared the coffee table.

"It's a dance." she said quietly, not looking at him.

He felt his heart begin to pound, knowing what the dance would be. Honoured it would be that dance. She left with the last of the plates. He shifted the coffee table and cushions to create some space to dance in. His attention focused on the hi-fi system, his fingers ran up and down the CD tower trying to decide. He was in the mood for some guitar, he wondered if she was too. The CD cover for Santana's 'Supernatural', caught his eye, the blend of colour and image, instantly reminding him of Marisol.

"Nice pick." she commented entering the lounge again. He opened his arms, positioning them into a frame to hold her.

"Marisol?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why don't you rumba?"

"What?"

"Why don't you rumba? It's something Isabella mentioned."

Trust Bella to bring up something like this, she thought to herself. She wondered how she could possibly explain to him the reason. Well she could explain, it was really a matter of _did_ she want to explain it to him. "You sure you want to know?" she asked stalling for time. "Some surprise if you already guessed the surprise." He heard the hint of disappointment.

"I'm still surprised and fascinated to have a gorgeous woman like you in my arms tonight." he cooed, twirling her around. "Most of all," His fingers curved her waist, pulling her in sharply, "I can't believe you love me this much. To share this and your love with me is the most wonderful surprise ever." He waited for an answer, "Are you speechless? Is that even possible, Marisol?" he asked openly laughing at the confused look on her face. He pecked her cheek.

"I feel as if you're the biggest surprise of all, Lubimiy." she said with a smile as he buried his face in her hair, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed as the next song began to play. "So you know how to rumba right?"

"Barely remember. Last time was probably in New York at the NYPD annual gala night."

"Now that is just sad, Horatio."

"Rich, coming from someone who's never danced it ever before."

"My rumba is perfect. Practice you know Horatio."

"Now that I can easily believe."

She began to lead as the lyrics streamed forth,

_Where you are, is where I wanna be  
And through your eyes, all the things I wanna see  
And in the night, you are my dream  
You're everything to me__._

"So much for 'barely remembering'," she whispered. She was impressed by his movements. Yet a part of her had always known that he would have never let her down in this department. He had natural grace and was a quick learner.

_You're the love of my life_

Her leg curled around his as she finally let him take the lead. He heard her intake of breath as he leaned her down. His hand ran down the middle of the slinky black dress. Her hands gripped him tightly as he puller her back her up.

"Oh my…is this part of the surprise?" he asked, his hand cupping her breast feeling nothing but her hard nipple. His other hand trailed her down the slope of her back to investigate further. She gave him a naughty pout and nodded.

Marisol shimmied down him, "Oh my…" he breathed, allowing him to feel the nothingness but her body under the flimsy material, now knowing that there was nothing under the dress.

_And the breath in my prayers_

The eye contact was mesmerising, the lyrics and their bodies doing all the speaking.

_Take my hand, lead me there__,_

He closed his eyes as he gave her his hand and she moved behind him, tenderly kissing the back of his neck. He was lost in the sensation she was eliciting from him.

_W__hat __I__ need is you here_

Their breathing was forgotten as swaying hips replaced blood with liquid fire. Their hands gripped each other more tightly, muscles tightly clenched to maintain the beauty of the dance.

_I can't forget the taste of your mouth_

"Marisol," he moaned loudly, her tongue plunging into his mouth. His hands shaped the contours of her lower body into him. He didn't let her stop, his own tongue taking control of their kiss till she was whimpering into his mouth.

_From your lips all the heavens pour out_

"Horatio. I want you."

_I can't forget when we are one_

She arched her back, her hand leading his to the hem of the dress.

_It's you alone and I am free_

He slid to his knees, his lips making a wet trail of kisses up her leg. "Tell me why, Marisol."

"Horatio," she blurted, her hand resting on the side of his face.

_Everyday, every night, you alone_

"Tell me why Marisol," he said again, biting the soft flesh. He felt the goosebumps rise as she shivered with delight, "Tell me why you're so perfect dancing this," his teeth marked her again, "And yet you've never danced it with anyone before. Why?"

_You're the love of my life_

She couldn't breathe, she wanted him to continue and but the torture and frustration was so delicious!

_Everyday, every night, you alone,_

"Don't think now, Horatio. Just don't think." she pleaded raising him from his knees to kiss him again.

_You're the love of my life_

The tempo of the song picked up, causing their passion to cool down a little but their pulses took off again as they sought to remain in control of each other.

_We go dancing in the moonlight  
With the starlight in your eyes  
We go dancing till the sunrise  
You and me we're gonna dance, dance, dance__…_

They finished breathless, clinging to each other - nothing mattering anymore for this moment as they clung to it heart, mind and soul. Everything the other wanted to know was in this moment. The hazel and blue of their eyes magnified, growing until their attraction hit them full force; hot lips and wet tongues dancing and duelling.

Her hands were at his shirt, picking the buttons off. The thin straps of her dress number were already down her shoulders.

They were dragging themselves to the stairs. He crushed her into him, raising her off the ground and carrying her.

They stumbled towards the bed, falling onto it and continuing their caresses.

"Wait, Sweetheart…" he stopped kissing her, feeling her hands skim down his torso and rest on his belt buckle, "Wait." He grabbed her hands, "I need to know Marisol," he said gently, "Why?"

"Because I was three years old and still living in Cuba when I first saw it danced. In the rumba, I saw the love in every move; the purity and beauty and I've wanted it ever since." Her hands framed his face, "With someone I can truly give myself to. You may not understand the breathlessness and movement I felt in that moment but I captured the feeling I had then again…with you… Horatio Caine." He began to kiss her, "And I know Lubimiy," he raised his head to look at her, "I want it with you. I really do."

"Thank-you, Sweetheart." His kisses were gentler this time, "Thank-you."

She responded to him drawing her legs around his waist as her fingers undid his trousers. His head moved lower, his teeth gripping the fabric and pulling it down to bare more of her skin to his kisses.

"What's this?" he asked, seeing markings in the dim light. "Tattoo?" there was a raised eyebrow.

Her arching back collapsed, "My initials in Cyrillic," she gasped, disappointed at the loss of contact.

"There's just no end to your surprises Marisol." He chuckled, continuing his explorations. Her musky scent was beginning to intoxicate him, drawing him up to her dampening mound.

"Lubimiy," she moaned. Her leg draped across his back pulled him closer to her wetness.

His mouth collided suddenly and forcefully with her tender skin. His tongue stroked her wet walls, and her accent grew thick with longing. "Say it again Marisol." He growled.

"Lubimiy," she purred in a thick foreign accent. She felt pleasure course through her from his tongue for her effort.

"Again," he whispered to her, loving to hear his special name roll from her lips.

"Horatio…Lubimiy" she groaned, feeling waves of delight tingle all over her body as she slipped closer to the edge.

Her hands fisted in his hair and pulled him up roughly. She kissed him pulling her body against his. Tasting her essence in his mouth was making her senses go wild, the heat between them rising. The final straw came when he began to nibble her ear, his hand pressing her down, stopping her hips from thrusting up. Her only way to vent was to rub her hot, sweaty skin against him.

Their lovemaking started in a slow rhythm, pulsating into ferocious passion to culminate spectacularly into a perfect moment of combined, unending bliss.

* * *

The night was now still. Gentle fingertips massaged cooling skin as they lay on their sides spooning.

"Marisol, are you ok? I didn't hurt you did I?

She patted the hand resting against the firm skin of her buttocks

"What?!" he shot up, his hand reaching for the switch of the lamp.

"Not you Lubimiy," she pulled him down on top of her, "I fell off the sofa that night."

"Maybe I should get to the gym more often."

"It wasn't your fault then either. More like panic because I was going to be late for work. But," her hand caressed his back, "From the shape you're in. I really don't think you need to go the gym." she said meaningfully.

He laughed clutching her to him and rolling her around to pin under him, his kisses, once again, drowning out all coherent thought.

* * *

His body clock which normally had him up by dawn was still adjusting to his recovery and had him stirring a little after dawn. He turned towards her feeling his legs tangled within hers. She was sleeping with her back to him. He kissed her shoulder and got out of bed. He looked around at the scattered clothing and winced slightly at the pain in his calf; clearly he was not as sprightly as he would have liked to think. He stood up and stretched feeling his muscles twinge in protest to his stretching. He got sidetracked watching her sleep, again. Her face was half-buried in a pillow, sheet partially covering her. The splendour of her breasts and navel revealed fully to him. wisps of dark curls teased his eyes, where they peeped at the edge of sheet covering her. His eyes roamed for the tattoo on her inner leg. His arousal was sudden and strong. Shaking his head at his body's response to her sleeping form, he headed to the bathroom .

"Room for one more?" she asked with a knock. She shivered slightly, goosebumps rising, crossing her arms against herself.

He nudged the shower door open, blowing the steam out to try and clear the air infront of his eyes. He offered her his hand. She took it and stepped into the shower with him.

He took her in his arms, "Good morning Marisol."

She kissed his chest, "Good morning Horatio."

He was about to kiss her, when he stopped, "Hmm, you might not have brushed yet? I think that warrants some yellow CSI tape around you."

"Funny! Real funny! For your information, I've already brushed." she leaned in to share a brief kiss.

"Mhhmm, minty."

She pulled away and grinned. She fingered the teeth marks on his arm, "I'm sorry about this," she ran her hand against the hickeys scattered across his torso, "and these."

He smiled at her, pushing her damp hair away from her face, "I'll live, Sweetheart."

They embraced in silence, letting the hot water run over them. Her hands soon began wander of their own will across his body. She turned around and reached for his shower gel.

"I've already soaped." he replied to her questioning look. His own gaze traversing the length of her body. Desire increasing the intensity of his pulse and making his mouth dry. He tugged her back to him. She began to soap herself while he began tracing a path of kisses across her shoulders. She tilted her head to one side to allow him to go further. One of his hands dropped to her thigh, tracing out the curve of her contours to find the tattoo he had discovered on her inner thigh during their lovemaking. Her hand led him to the right spot.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, stroking the tattoo.

"Thank-you." she whispered back, allowing his other hand to caress her.

He held onto her tightly as the water continued to run over them. They stood under the shower together simply enjoying the moment and the closeness they each felt.

She felt him pressing into her hip and her hand reached for him and began to stroke him.

"Sweetheart you don't have to do this." He let go and stepped back from her.

She pushed herself against him, "Too bad Horatio because I feel like doing something just like this. I want to."

He cupped her cheek, his thumb flattening out her wet hair, as he leaned in to kiss her. His eyes fixed on hers. gripping his arms tightly as she broke away from him and lowering herself to her knees, her teeth scraping a harsh, rough line from his chest down to his belly. She took her time here, her lips and tongue laving across his belly before finally plunging into his bellybutton. She heard his choked groan and was anxious for him to let go of his inhibitions; his hands were flat against the shower panel behind him and she could feel his abdominal muscles spasm now from their prolonged contraction because of her ministrations.

His physical struggle to want to pull her head to the part of him that wanted her the most was becoming unbearable. Oh God! Was it hard! His mind was racing, his chest pounding with conflicting emotions, and the steam from the shower was doing nothing to help douse the physical sensations he was feeling.

She moved her head lower down, kissing the soft skin of his groin, hidden beneath the copper-brown curls. He was so soft here, yielding to her every caress from her tongue and teeth. It was lovely, making her own senses reel with delight and headiness for him.

This is torture, he thought, completely unaware that he had mumbled it too. That was when she took him into her mouth. He breathed out deeply, the moistness of her mouth against his now hard member was enough to make him explode just there. She began to suck him and his head snapped back with force against the panel, a groan of delight issued from his tightly pursed lips. She made swallowing motions across his length, feeling every bulging vein. His hips began to make small thrusts forward. She shifted, moving up and down against his legs making sure he could feel her hard nipples. She let him go, and kneeled back on her heels.

"Horatio, you need to let go," she watched him breathing heavily, his eyes clouded over. She took his hands, and led them to her hair, "For both of us, Lubimiy."

"Marisol, I…I,"

"Horatio, don't speak, just let go." This time she didn't let him finish. She drew herself up and blew coolly out against the head of his erection.

"Marisol!" he yelled feeling the coldness of her breath and then the hotness of her mouth as she engulfed him again. Her tongue writhed around his length, sucking him hard as her hands fondled his sac. She tasted the pre-cum at the back of her throat. His eyes closed in bliss as his hands bunched her hair in his fists. He let go of his restraint letting her work his length. Inhaling deeply, her teeth began to graze and the force of her mouth against his manhood became harder. Feeling him tremble, her hands moulded him further into her mouth. His back arched as he released, hot spunk flying into the back of her throat and she swallowed it down, continuing to milk him until he became flaccid. He sighed heavily, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. He gripped her tightly and pulled her up, noticing her own breathing was heavy.

"That was quite…quite something, Marisol. It's…it's been a long time."

She gave him a cheeky smile, trailing a hand down the side of his thigh, "I figured Lieutenant, I figured."

He cupped her chin and kissed her roughly, his tongue colliding with hers in broken kisses, disjointed. The emotion behind it was different from their lovemaking the night before. Her hand shifted to his re-aroused manhood. He could taste his ejaculate in her mouth and it was making him hot and bothered again. He felt the redness seep all over his body, as she returned his fire and passion, moving her hands all over his body. Hands got tangled up with each other as each tried to dominate the other. He finally crushed her against him, his fingers escaping from her grasp and moving to lightly brush her clitoris. At the first stroke, she bit down on his lip. Her hips bucked against him. He kept her lips parted with his fingers as she continued to move her hot, moist mound against his hand. The hot friction turned into slickness as her leaking fluids covered his fingers. His mouth continued to distract her while his hand brought her closer to the edge.

"Coming…coming," she moaned into his mouth, roughly jerking her hips in time with his hand. She began to shake as wave after wave of pleasure shuddered through her body.

He ran his tongue over her lips, making sure he hadn't hurt her. She continued to breathe heavily against him, her hand caressing the scar on his side. She smiled again, pulling them both back into the shower spray.

"Your spontaneity quite blew me away, Horatio," she teased.

He laughed at her words, "Then perhaps you just need to be blown away more often, Sweetheart."

He turned the taps off and lifted her off her feet from behind. She giggled, her neck arching back to kiss his cheek. "I'm officially impressed, Lubimiy. We better get out of here or we're going to be _very _late."

He nodded with a smile. She grabbed a towel as he carried her back into the bedroom. He set her down only to find the towel roped around his neck and collapsing on to her as she flopped down onto the bed. She turned them around, so that she was resting on top of him. She pulled the towel and began to dry the both of them, rubbing and then kissing his skin. Her eyes lingered on the dark, elongating scar that ran along his side.

"Late, sweetheart?" he asked breathless.

"What's a few more minutes gonna make?" she kissed his shoulder, "Let's be adventurous," she quipped, followed by another kiss, "Your perfect record has got to have at least one late day."

"I concur, Sweetheart."

* * *

"Horatio, call-out to the Glades," said Frank, walking into his office, "Oh god!" he stopped in his tracks.

Confused, Horatio looked at him, "What?"

"You have the 'just fucked' look painted all over ya."

Horatio blushed but nevertheless managed to hold back the grin threatening to erupt. He gave his most nonchalant look to Frank's bluntness. He grabbed his kit and followed the detective out the door. "Francis, I wonder if you've taken up permanent residence in Gutterville." returned Horatio.

"Ah, the guilty blush says it all, LT." teased Frank with a chuckle as he led the way.

* * *

AN2: So did you guys like it??? I hope you did!


	19. Chapter 19

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **DEAR READERS, APOLOGIES! APOLOGIES! I REALISE I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE ON THE CHRONOLOGY; THE 'CLEARED FOR LANDING' COMMENT HAPPENS IN THIS EPISODE AND NOT BEFORE THIS. APOLOGIES ALSO FOR THE VERY LONG WAIT!! I've had lots of enquiries of when I would be updating this, so here it is. For future notice, the updates will be a bit slower now but obviously not as long as this one has been. For those of you who don't remember Michael from chap 6, he's the lovely chap that manages Il Covo. Happy reading everyone!

**OUT WITH A BANG**

Horatio Caine awoke to sunlight streaming into the room. He let his gaze linger on the now familiar peach coloured ceiling above him, trying to enjoy a moment of blissful calm before his day had to start again. The body next to him snuggled further into him. His fingers ghosted over the sleeping form as his mind wandered onto his plans for the day. His muscles unintentionally clenched and seized up.

And so it begins, he thought to himself as he heard his cell phone vibrate. Sighing, he gently untangled himself, only to gracelessly fall onto the floor. He reached for his discarded trousers before crawling towards the bathroom door. He closed the door as quietly as possible and turned on the tap to have a shave.

The coolness of the terracotta walls against his palms gave a soothing contrast to the hot spray hitting his body and it allowed his mind to drift. His belly was still knotted up in terror. He was supposed to go with Marisol for her chemo session today. His body's response was indeed one of fear but only a small part of his mind would admit that he was indeed scared of the events looming closer and closer. How could he possibly be scared when she was the one making a bigger sacrifice than he ever could? How could he be the one scared when he had to be the strong one? This fear seemed different to his other experiences; in those instances things were in his power and it was all just a matter of timing; Raymond, his bomb squad days, it had all been a matter of timing. This time, it was not a matter of timing and the lack of control scared the hell out of him.

A cool body pressed up behind him as he felt her arms come around him.

"You're up early." she murmured.

He moved over, allowing the shower spray to hit her. "Crime, apparently, waits for no-one, Sweetheart." He lowered his head to kiss her.

"Can it wait five more minutes?" she inquired breathlessly moulding herself further into him.

He smiled, 'Let's see, shall we?"

* * *

They were both dressed and had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee. Walking hand-in-hand to the café on Marisol's street corner, she asked, "Are you sure you're ok to come this evening?"

Horatio gave a chuckle, lacing their fingers together, "I got on top of my paperwork especially for this. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

She smiled back at him while he ordered a hot chocolate for her and a black coffee for himself. "That certainly is a change, Horatio!"

"Why the long face then?"

"Oh nothing, just thinking."

"Of what – " He was interrupted by the ringing of his phone, "Sorry sweetheart," he said apologetically turning away from her to answer it.

Of life, she answered mentally.

Their beverages had already arrived when he hung up. He gave her a rueful smile.

"You have to go." She completed for him seeing the look in his eyes.

He nodded with a sigh. "I'm sorry, work seems to have picked up in twenty minutes."

"That's all right."

He gulped down as much of his coffee as he could, "See you at six then?"

She nodded, trying to give the most charitable smile she could manage, under the circumstances. "Oh, I forgot to bring the address for you."

He was already standing, so he crouched down to her, "I didn't forget it Sweetheart." he said, taking out a slip of paper from his blazer pocket. She gave a genuine smile this time. "Love you!" He whispered quickly, arching to give her a light kiss.

She giggled in girlish delight as he left. Looking down at the hot chocolate and feeling a chocolate craving, she decided to order pain au chocolat.

A couple of minutes later, it dawned on her that she had forgotten a ledger in the apartment. Cursing, she checked her satchel only to find that she was right. She went to the counter only to find that Horatio had already paid for their drinks. Paying for the pastry she munched it on her way back to the apartment. She knew she was going to get to Il Covo late and hurried up the stairs.

It took a few minutes to find the ledger that had somehow ended up near a stack of laundry. Puzzling as to how it got there, she had just reached the front door when she suddenly felt her heart stop and her breath catch. A wave of nausea and dizziness washed over that sent her hobbling back into the apartment, she collapsed onto a chair in the kitchen, and waited for the sick feeling to pass. Feeling weak but also hungry at the same time she seriously considered taking the morning off.

"Michael? Hello, Marisol here."

"Good morning Marisol. Is everything ok?"

"I'm really sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to come in this morning." Hearing a loud sigh from the other end, she thought fast 'But I can come this afternoon. Would that be okay?"

"Um, this afternoon? Could we call it an early session because I would like to go over some things with you, and I have to be at the airport at five to pick up someone. Does that suit?"

"Thanks Mike, you're the most flexible boss ever!"

Michael laughed, "Good thing I'm not actually your boss Marisol. Anything else?"

Marisol hesitated, "Well actually... could you get me some of my stuff for today? Will that be a problem?"

"No problem at all. I'll arrange for it. See you at two then?"

"Thank-you Mike, two o'clock it is. Bye."

Marisol hung up and decided to rest for the remainder of the morning. Now there was a new problem to add to the growing thought in her mind. Horatio would, in all likelihood be here tonight, how would she do it without jeopardising him, but then she couldn't do without it either. Just fucking wonderful she thought falling into bed with a bottle of water.

* * *

She felt the cold metal of the bench underneath her as she waited anxiously for him. She had spent the better part of the morning thinking about it and was sure she had arrived at the right decision. The life she wanted with him could never transpire if she continued treatment. She was tired of it all. She would not be broken or have her spirit crushed. Her life, if it was meant to be was meant to be and if it wasn't…well they would find out soon enough wouldn't they? She always knew she'd go out with a bang, that's the just way she was and it was a bit late, now to change who she was. She fiddled with the loose threads on her green cardigan, impatient to get this over with.

"Marisol?" he asked surprised that she was his visitor. For a moment he thought he had made a mistake, "Our appointment's at six?" He noted that her attire had changed from this morning; it was more casual than the 2-piece she had donned earlier.

"I needed to talk to you." She looked around furtively.

"Ok." He took a step closer in towards her, trying to make their space as private as possible, "What's going on?"

"After tonight, I want to stop my chemo. I know I'm gonna get sick and I'm scared."

'Marisol –" he started, unbelieving of what she had just said. His eyes immediately fell to the ground

"I just don't wanna take that chance."

Realisation dawned; he didn't want to push her away by being controlling again, "I understand. But –" he paused for a moment to collect his scattered thoughts. He wanted to make sure she had considered this from all angles, "- If we lose you, then nothing can happen."

Her eyes pleaded with him.

His eyes pleaded with hers.

He wanted her to keep fighting but he knew he had no choice. Well, at least no real choice in the matter – it was not his right. This was all about her life and he knew the right way was whatever she wanted. His blue eyes fell to the ground again and resignation showed. "Ehem…if this is your decision, you have my full support. Ok?" He tried to put on a brave a front as he could.

She gave a grateful smile and a nod, "You're still coming?"

"Of course, I'm coming with you." He responded more quickly than intended.

"Good." She let out a sigh of relief, "As long as you're with me, I know I'm going to be fine."

"And you will be." He finished the thought for her. "So I'll see you at six?"

"Yeah, I'll see you at six."

"Ok." He gave the most positive smile he could manage wanting to at least give her a parting kiss, but then with a quick smile she turned from him and was walking away.

He felt the shock return and quickly sat down on the bench, needing a moment to compose himself before he resumed his role of Lieutenant Caine. The uncomfortable thought of listening to what Eric thought about all this made his head begin to throb.

* * *

She was just getting to Il Covo when her cell went off, "Mari, do you need me to pick you up?"

"Hi Eric. Nah, I'm good. Catching a ride with Bella."

"Ok, relieved to hear that. I'm really behind on my processing. I have a lot to do this afternoon. Are you ok for later?"

Marisol caught on immediately, "Yes, yes. Horatio's coming today too Eric."

"Oh, all right."

"Please come still! I want to talk to you about something."

"Ok. Gotta go Marisol, we just got a call out." He waved to Wolfe that he was on his way. "Love you. Bye."

"Eric, you need to suit up, you're the one going dumpster diving today." Calleigh mentioned sweetly as she breezed in with some AV tapes.

"What?! No way! It's Wolfe's turn this time around."

"Eric! Be nice, he has a date tonight and you don't," she added meaningfully. "Thank-you!" she called out to his grumbling, retreating back as he grabbed his kit on the way out.

* * *

Horatio switched off the engine and sat for a moment in the quiet of the car to collect his thoughts; his hands were shaking. She was already inside, waiting for him. It was only a deep sigh and his ruthless streak of self-discipline that made him walk towards the clinic door instead of letting him run in the opposite direction. His hands, casually inserted into his pockets were still trembling.

Marisol was going through the well practiced routine of making a fist and holding her breath as the tip of the needle was inserted into her vein. She remembered during her first chemo session how Eric tried to distract her while the nurse hunted around for a few good minutes to find a vein in her wrist, only to give up frustrated. The frustration just compounded to her fear. It was as if her veins just kept burying deeper and deeper, afraid of medicinal cocktail that it would give access to. The nurse eventually settled on injecting the drugs into her forearm.

She was impatient for him to arrive and be there, but when she saw his face something moved inside her. She took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. They both understood the gesture was to calm him down more than anything else. The machine beeped.

The attending nurse gave the couple an encouraging look and some words and then left.

"She's great." remarked Horatio, sitting down beside her.

Marisol acknowledged that the nurses really were fantastic in this clinic.

She felt the first of the liquid entering her system,"Here we go…" Marisol said, her voice breaking, but a smile lingering because she was so happy that he was here with her.

He nodded in acceptance, with a brave smile of his own, "Here we go." He waited for her to settle down before asking, "Marisol, are you quite sure you've made up your mind?"

"Horatio, I have. Even if the chemo does give me a little longer to live, think how it would be. It would be awful. I wouldn't be able to enjoy life anymore, it would affect you too."

He acquiesced in silence. Her hand remained clasped between his.

"The first time is nerve-wracking." she said attempting to break the silence.

He gave a wry smile, pull yourself together man, he chided, think of who you're doing this for, and because you want to share her experience and show that she is not alone; That you'll always be here even if you're always getting called away, as he thought about his departure at breakfast. "It's not that. I don't like hospital settings. Especially tubes." He gulped slightly, "My mother, died of her injuries, the tubes…" he steeled his voice, "they hooked her up on couldn't save her."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He shook his head in silence, forcing himself to look at her. She squeezed his hand and leaned forward to kiss his forehead.

"You know what?" he cleared his throat, "we're going to be here for a while, why don't you get some rest, ok?"

Marisol nodded, knowing he was already clamming up against her. Besides, she was feeling tired, and could now feel the drugs beginning to work on her system. She turned away from him, tucking her legs underneath herself, and closed her eyes.

He drew the curtain around the little bed as if that would help him block out the memories of his mother's hospital stays. He felt his earlier headache coming back on and he tried to concentrate on something else.

Horatio watched her while she slept, feeling strangely intrusive just being there. It charmed him to no end that she always looked so beautiful, and he knew it wasn't just a matter of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. The little jealous spark in him had noticed that she always seemed capable of turning men's heads, even though she didn't realize it. He had to admit that his brain did get a little rush to know that he was envied whenever he was with her. He realised he was being selfish by wanting her to continue the chemo just so she could live a little bit longer, so that he could love her a little bit longer. He wasn't giving enough thought to her quality of life and the effects that would have on him.

His eyes rested on the intra venous line, as it slowly dripped the meds that were killing her but also the cancer. He felt a sudden surge of anger, unable to tear his eyes away from the chemo cocktail slowly dripping on and on and on. Why her? Why his beloved lover? Someone who lived for every moment and was so full of life! The injustice of it all, why not strike one, of the criminal scum he was constantly arresting, with cancer, he questioned a higher power furiously in his mind. He bowed his head in resignation, the anger being replaced by the plummeting of his heart to the ground.

"Horatio!" she started awake.

His head shot up, "I'm here." He soothed, "I'm here." He kissed her hands to help remove the lingering panic in her sleepy eyes.

"Hey guys!"

Marisol and Horatio looked across to see Eric coming towards them.

"Eric," she whispered happily. Horatio stood up and gestured to the chair.

"Nah, thanks H. I'm good."

"Go ahead Eric, I'm just going to grab some water and let you guys talk." He pointed to the water cooler near the entrance, "Would you like some?"

Two sets of identical hazel eyes looked at him and shook their heads.

"Ok then." Horatio gave Marisol an encouraging smile as he walked away.

Eric sat down and stretched his legs out, chuckling at his boss's retreating back. "You seem to have him whipped good, Mari."

Marisol rolled her eyes, "Really Eric!" She sniffed the air and scrunched up her nose, "Peww! Is that you?"

Now it was Eric's turn to roll his eyes, "Dumpster duty because Wolfe had a date."

Her eyebrows shot up, "Natalia?" Eric nodded ruefully. "Good for Ryan." Eric shrugged his shoulders in response. "Eric, we need to talk."

"Sure, about what?"

"This is the last one Eric."

The blank look in his eyes was quickly snuffed out, anger flaming from the now brown orbs, "What the hell, Marisol?" she stayed silent, "Why?" he demanded.

"Because I'm tired Eric. Because of what the doctor said. I've fought it as much as I can, and if it doesn't work after this one, then I'm done. The prognosis won't matter. Can't I ask for a happy death?"

"NO, you cannot Marisol!" he whispered furiously, not wanting to raise his voice.

She bit back a retort. Eric hung his head in shame, "I'm sorry Mari, I didn't mean it like that. What about never giving up?"

"Eric it's going to be fine. "

"I hope so Mariso-" Eric was interrupted by the nurse coming over and informing them that the treatment cycle was complete.

Marisol welcomed the removal of the intrusive implement from her arm. Horatio and Eric, stood side-by-side watching in silence. The nurse took off the rubber cuff and pressed a cotton swab on the puncture site, "Here hold this," she said, pressing Marisol's hand over the swab and turning around to switch off the machine and complete the medical chart. "Well. That's you all done Miss Delko. You have a blood test and biopsy scheduled a week from now."

"Yes. Thank-you."

"Have a safe trip home, folks." The nurse said to the little group and left.

Marisol, leaned back tiredly and smiled, "Wow, two guys to help me home. This is a first."

The two men gave her a hand each and gently pulled her up, holding onto her as they felt how unsteady she was. "Take your time, Sweetheart," said Horatio, shuffling forward slowly.

"I'll get the car, H." said Eric dashing off.

"I think I'll go with Eric, Horatio. Thanks for coming today."

"You don't want me to come home with you?" he asked surprised.

She acted surprised, "You want to come home?"

He was suddenly shy, "Well I don't want to be rude."

"Horatio, no! No! I would love for you to be with me. I just thought you'd have a lot of work."

"All done, Marisol," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled, "Ok, well I think I'll still ride with Eric, we haven't finished talking about this. Will you follow us home?" she paused at the doorway.

"Of course, Marisol."

Eric held the car door open for her. She crumpled into the seat with a heavy breath.

"Thanks H." said Eric in a clipped voice.

Horatio could only imagine what the conversation in the car would be!

* * *

"When are you going to tell Mammi and Pappy? Does Bella know?" he asked, strapping himself in.

Marisol sighed, "Yes Eric, Bella knows. That's why I asked her to give me a ride over here, so I could talk to her. And…" she paused meaningfully, " you should know that Bella fully supports my decision and didn't put up as much a fight as you thought she would. As for Mom and Pappy, I'll tell them tomorrow, when I feel a little better." Her last words set panic bells off in her head, "Shit Eric!"

"What is it Mari?" he asked worriedly.

"Horatio's gonna see me smokin' up! Is he allowed to do that?"

Eric laughed, "Well we can ask him when we get home. I hope Michael got better grass than the one you tried scoring for yourself."

"Thank goodness for Michael," Marisol commented.

Eric looked across at her, "You're already bruising Mari," He briefly pointed to the dark circle appearing around the puncture mark of the needle. She shrugged, feeling drained. "Is it starting?" he asked, noticing the break of sweat on her forehead.

"I can wait till we get home," she replied in a strained voice.

"Hang in there Marisol, we'll be home soon. Where's the grass?"

She pointed to her purse, and he floored the accelerator.

* * *

Eric had already helped Marisol into the house by the time Horatio arrived.

"That was good time, Eric." said his boss getting out of the car.

"Think I did go over some of the limits, H. Mari wasn't feeling too good. Can you stay with her while I pick up dinner? I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes."

"Sure Eric, as long as you need."

Horatio went in and Eric left.

Marisol was sitting in the kitchen with a glass of orange juice, and a blanket around her. "Knock, knock, Sweetheart," he said lightly, bending down to brush his lips against hers.

"Horatio, I don't know if you should stay."

He took a seat next to her, "Why would you say that, Marisol?"

"I just don't want to get you into anymore trouble. You've already done so much for Eric and me. It's too risky for you and it's not fair on you."

"Sweetheart, I don't understand."

Her eyes shifted to her purse on the counter. "Could you pass me my purse, please?"

He reached across and passed the purse to her. She took out the cellophane bag containing 4 neatly rolled joints, and waved it infront his face. "This Horatio, this! You can't get into trouble because of me."

Horatio chuckled, "Sweetheart, I'm not going to get into trouble. 'Extenuating circumstances', remember? Nothing can possibly happen."

"You say that now, but you're a Lieutenant. It's too risky Lubimiy."

"Marisol, believe me. Nothing's going to happen. I promise." She still looked doubtful so he opened the cellophane bag and lit one.

"Horatio!" she croaked adamantly.

He took a couple of puffs and handed it to her with a smile, "Marisol," he leaned over and kissed her blowing the smoke into her. They broke apart, "I'm not that innocent." He laughed at her bemused expression.

She took several long drags, "God, I feel better already."

She stood up without his help and walked to the lounge. She tapped the spliff into the ashtray on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch. He sat down next to her. She lay her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her and held her close while they waited for Eric to return.

* * *

His arm was lying above her head, and his breath was ticking her neck. His deep breathing indicated that he was asleep. Poor thing, she thought, he had stayed up most of the night helping her to deal with her nausea. She was feeling much better now. The chemo session had showed her the Horatio Caine that Eric knew, the reserved man. He had gone on the defensive, retreating into himself after he briefly mentioned his mother. Marisol realised that there wasn't much she knew about her lover's past. She had heard Horatio's background from Eric, but Horatio never talked about himself or gave much detail about his childhood. He had certainly never talked about these either, she told herself fingering the long scar near his belly-button that felt like a raised bump against her fingertips. Just from touching the raised bump, she could feel there was an interesting story behind it; it was no mere appendectomy scar. She turned around to face him and closed her eyes, nestling into him to kiss the skin over his heart.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone, I'm back!I apologise for this very long hiatus which was never my intention. Hopefully this will not happen again for a while to come. My HM writing is a bit rusty but I hope you enjoy this chappie all the same. Thank-you again for all your reviews and PMs. **Happy Reading =]**

**Disclaimer: **Sigh, no CSI:M and it's associated characters still don't have any affiliation with me, unfortunately.

**20) Alcoholic Outcomes**

Horatio Caine stretched out comfortably and opened his eyes to wake up to the now very familiar peach ceiling. He listened to the patter of rain against the shutters. He kept his eyes shut, now used to enjoying the feeling of waking up to a warm body pressed against his. Except today, his hand reached out to encounter nothing. It was then that he opened his eyes to find Marisol examining his leg, completely oblivious to the fact that he was now awake.

"Sweetheart?" he enquired.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, hastily dropping the sheet that had previously covered him waist down. She looked as guilty as sin right now. She resisted him when he tried to pull her back down next to him. He became a little worried, "Marisol? What's wrong?"

As he became more alert he realised that nothing was wrong with his lover who was blushing furiously. He rolled over to trap her underneath him. Her cheek was hot against his palm. He was amused by their role reversal when it came to this bodily reflex. "Sweetheart, this is interesting. You don't blush often." He kissed her cheek, "Actually you don't seem to blush at all."

Tears suddenly welled up at the corners of her eyes.

"Woah! Marisol?" He let her up. Her fists quickly rubbed the tears away. He let her have some space.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." She gripped his arm to lever herself up against the headboard. He clasped her hand. She smiled apologetically She was herself uncertain why she had tears in her eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Horatio." she whispered, her fingers tracing out his jaw line.

"Thanks! I feel older but no wiser, unfortunately. So ahem-what exactly were you doing to my leg?"

She felt the blood rush to her face again, "Anticipating your birthday present."

"Anticipating my birthday present?" he asked, utterly puzzled now.

She let out a huff, "Ok you got me! I was counting your freckles!"

"My freckles?"

She leaned in towards him "Mhmm, a kiss for every freckle…"

"A kiss for every freckle? What a nice way to start my birthday!" he chuckled allowing her to pin him under her as she started with his present.

* * *

She stepped out of the shower laughing, rubbing the bruise appearing on her navel. Horatio leaned back and scooped her back into his wet embrace.

"YOU don't get away that easily," he whispered, nuzzling her neck,

"Your birthday treat," she giggled, arching against him to guide his lips lower down to her collarbone.

"I'm going to be late, Lubimiy."

"What was it you said to me, the other day about crime having to wait?" he asked coyly, his arm still snaked firmly around her waist.

She giggled, sliding out of his arms and reaching for the towel a second time "Making crime wait is one thing, making Bella wait is another thing altogether."

He laughed, giving her one last kiss before she stepped out of the shower.

She was getting dressed when his phone began to ring. Thinking nothing of it, she hit the answer button.

"Hello, Hello?" The connection crackled with static, "Helloooo?"

"Hello?" Marisol could hear the surprise in the rich, accented voice. "Could I speak to Horatio?"

Marisol heard a teenager's voice in the background asking to be given the phone, "Just a minute Ray!" the lady's voice snapped. A deeper voice coincided on another line "Happy Birthday big brother!"

"Oh…"Marisol stuttered, "I'll just get Horatio for you."

She hopped around for a moment, hoping Horatio would be out of the shower soon. Realising that she couldn't hear the sound of running water, she figured he was probably done. "Horatio! Phone!" she squeaked anxiously, practically throwing the handset at him.

"Hello?"

"Happy Birthday Horatio!"

"Yelina? Thanks very much. How are you?"

Yelina cleared her throat, "I'm good Horatio. Hope we didn't interrupt anything?" she teased.

Horatio blushed, "No, not at all."

He heard a guffaw on the line, "Ray?" he asked.

Raymond and Yelina broke into laughter

* * *

She had just finished cooking breakfast when he emerged from her bedroom; his cell-phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder as he threaded his belt through his trousers.

"Well, y'know buddy of course you can come visit. As long as they say 'Yes', Ray."

He listened for a moment, giving Marisol a quick smile when she pointed to a plate of scrambled eggs on toast with all the trimmings. "Ok, well I look forward to that then, son. Could I have a quick word with your mom, please?"

He glanced at her apologetically, she smiled waving him on to continue his conversation with Yelina. She gave him a peck on the cheek and pointed at her watch to say she was running late. She picked up her purse, only to find herself being spun around by Horatio and given one last kiss.

Smiling to herself and shaking her head, she shut the door and walked towards Bella's car.

"Morning Sunshine!" chortled Bella.

Marisol rolled her eyes, "Morning Bella."

"That was some smile you had, a couple of seconds ago," she teased and when Marisol kept a straight face, "Nice morning and all then considering the rain and everything?" she enquired casually.

"Bella!" Marisol exclaimed, lightly punching her friend's arm, "Just drive…you are getting no details this time around!"

"Ah damn…" moaned Bella, adjusting gear and pulling away from the kerb.

The women spent most of the day at their favourite café, going through the final details for Bella's big day. The couple's relatives from out of town would be arriving within the next couple of days and accommodation and transport was beginning to be a bit of a problem. Isabella had insisted on putting up their respective families and arranging everything as much as possible in advance so that everyone could enjoy themselves and not have to worry about little things.

The rain had fizzled out by the afternoon and Marisol spent a couple of hours working at another firm she freelanced for. The work was not too taxing and she soon found herself relaxing into the steady rhythm of work.

* * *

Marisol walked along the boulevard glancing at shop windows, trying to figure out what exactly to get her lover for his birthday. She sighed, thinking how typical it was for her to leave everything until the last minute. Well, that wasn't entirely true; she had developed the photos from Madison's birthday party and created a little album for Madison and had framed some of the better photos for Horatio to put next to his photos of his nephew. Nevertheless, she still wanted to buy him a present and right now Miami's exclusive boutiques weren't providing anything that eye-catching.

She hmph-ed a little to herself that she only had a little over an hour to shop before having to head over to the surprise party being held for Horatio at a bar that Miami's finest favoured. Not that she would admit it but she was a little worried about how his colleagues would react to their relationship, given the conflict of interest and the umpteen times she had endangered him and Eric.

Ah-ha! That's it! She passed 'Sunglass Hut' and remembered that Eric had told her that the pair of sunnies he had pulled from his salvaging job and given to Horatio had finally fallen apart. She paused thoughtfully at the display rack and wondered whether to get a different pair or the same ones for him. An assistant wandered over and pulled her from her musings. She smiled and waved him away. She smiled at the image of Horatio and his trademark hooking of his sunglasses around his neck – it was all the convincing Marisol needed to purchase them.

* * *

She walked into Corrigan's Saloon a while later. It was packed! Seems that everyone who could be spared from Miami PD was currently attending their Lieutenant's birthday party. However, there was no mistaking the twinkling eyes, which immediately settled on her when she walked in, as Eric's. Suddenly the butterflies returned full force and she tried to slip as nonchalantly as she could through the crowd and sidled up to Eric. In truth, this was definitely not what she had been expecting. She had expected a serious, maybe even smoky (and perhaps if she was really lucky, a jukebox!) bar where they would just have a couple of drinks. Instead, she was standing in the corner of a large room (from what she could see) that had bar stools and tables dotted strategically along the walls. Surprisingly, there was a vintage jukebox right next to the DJs platform, which added to the charm of the bar rather than making it look tacky. Overall it looked more like a club than a dive that the cops visited to wind-down after a long day. There was a massive wood-panelled bar counter at the far end, above which was mounted a considerable quantity and selection of alcohol. Infact, just looking at all that booze made her stomach feel just a wee bit queasy. She just couldn't believe how many people from the day shift had decided to come. She would have felt a lot more comfortable if it was just Horatio's team – she already knew Ryan and Natalia and had met Calleigh a couple of times too, but this, this was just causing those butterflies to rise higher and higher within her digestive system. Indeed, she still had not sighted Horatio amongst the crowd!

"Impressed Mari?" asked Eric, smirking.

She nodded, "I was expecting more of a watering hole, but this…" she gestured at the crowd, "…it's more like a bodega!"

Eric chuckled, "Yep, Corrie's got the quickest call-out time in the city!" Marisol laughed.

"No seriously, Marisol, Eric's right…the detectives would be absolutely lost if anything happened to this place." chimed in Ryan who had been standing close by. Marisol continued to chat to Ryan glad for the distraction from having to face the dizzying crowd.

Eric nudged her, "Heads up, Mari." Marisol looked up and saw Horatio waving at her, gesturing for her to come towards the bar. She smiled and confidently wove through the crowd.

"Glad you made it, sweetheart." he murmured, pulling her close and brushing her lips. Someone catcalled from nearby. Horatio looked flushed and grinned at her turning to introduce her to the burly detective standing near him.

"Frank, meet Marisol Delko. Marisol, Detective Frank Tripp. Sorry, I didn't get to introduce you two that day at CSI."

"Hardly any need," scoffed Frank, "Delko's a walking copy of her except she's much prettier. Pleasure, Ma'am." Frank drawled, extending his hand.

Horatio rolled his eyes in response to Frank's southern charm.

"Thank you and likewise Detective. Thank-you for all your help with the spa incident."

Frank waved her away to say it was nothing, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Club soda please." she responded, settling comfortably into Horatio who put his arm around her waist.

"Cheers," she raised her glass towards them.

"To the birthday boy." grinned Frank.

"To the birthday BOY!" roared the rest of the bar in unison, all taking a swig from their respective glasses.

* * *

Various people kept coming up to the Lieutenant to buy him a drink. Horatio found it harder and harder to turn people away. Sure he had Irish blood in him and all that but he was older than he used to be when he could drink all the whiskey he wanted without any thought to the hangover the next morning. Also, he could feel a permanent blush staining his neck, which he was pretty sure was from the alcohol. It wouldn't take long for the flush to rise to his cheeks at the rate he was going. He was happy, content with life for the moment. Marisol had turned away from him and from what he could hear through the noise seemed to be in deep discussion with Alexx about bone marrow compatibility. He could tell that Marisol was just beginning to feel comfortable when he noticed Frank's face contort into a grimace.

"What the heck is he doing here?" growled Frank, his high spirits quickly disappearing.

Horatio followed his gaze to Rick Stetler walking up to them. "If he says anything about another internal investigation, we'll be taking this outside." warned Frank, darkly.

Horatio chuckled and put on a serious countenance.

"Many happy returns of the day, Horatio."

"Thank-you."

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"Sure thing. Thanks Rick."

Frank who had been eavesdropping choked on his drink. He was standing with Bernstein who gave him a few good thumps on the back.

"Your good health, Horatio." said Rick, raising his tumbler of whiskey.

Horatio acknowledged his words with a nod before tipping the glass back.

"About Eric's TCA drug test, Horatio - "

Horatio held up his hand, straightening himself to his full height, "Rick, all business as usual I see. I thought it was all too good to be true. Please can we just table this discussion for when we're both on duty? However, just for the record I'm pretty sure we had this whole thing wrapped up a couple of weeks ago and there is no need for further discussion."

Stetler shrugged his shoulders and turned away only to bump into Marisol, sloshing some of her drink onto her hands.

"Gee, sorry ma'am. How clumsy of me!" Rick immediately handed her a handkerchief. He clearly hadn't recognised her from the car park a while ago.

"Thank-you." she dabbed at her hands and passed the handkerchief back to him. Marisol recognised him immediately and where she had seen him before.

"Least I can do," the IAB agent replied huskily, "I'm so sorry to mention this, but you look very familiar. Have you attended any PD functions in the past?"

Marisol nodded her head vaguely, "Yes, a couple of functions." She had already cottoned onto the fact that she had danced with Stetler at the Annual Policeman's Ball a couple of years ago. It had been a masquerade ball and Stetler had nearly decimated her feet whilst dancing.

Horatio casually came up to them, "Marisol, I see you've met one of the department's finest – Agent Richard Stetler. Rick may I introduce Marisol Delko."

Stetler's face fell for a moment before his usual poker face reasserted itself. He was clearly disappointed and not to mention more than a little annoyed that Caine had somehow managed to pull the same woman he had been infatuated with that evening. "Well then, goodnight folks."

The room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief as Rick Stetler walked out of Corrigan's.

* * *

The last of the boisterous party crowd left Corrigan's in the early hours of the morning and Horatio was giving thanks to the fact that it was Sunday and that he definitely wasn't on-call.

He wasn't drunk, or at least he didn't think he was drunk yet…maybe a little tipsy but noooooo…definintely not drunk. Ah, it seemed his feet disagreed with his brain as he missed his footing while stepping off the pavement.

Eric helped to steady him, "Woah, H! take it easy."

"Fine Eric, am fine," muttered Horatio with a good-natured grin. Eric offered to drive him home but he turned the younger CSI down. "Go have some fun Eric. It's Saturday night, you, Calleigh and Wolfe should be out painting the town red, except please don't cause any incidents for the graveyard shift to clean-up otherwise the Chief will have us all working overtime for the rest of the year!" Horatio grimaced at his own words.

Eric and Calleigh both laughed thinking how long it had been since they had seen their boss in such a good mood.

"You just leave us oldies to…"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as both Alexx, Frank and Marisol rounded on him,

"Who you calling old, Horatio?" asked Alexx in mock horror laughing with Marisol.

"Exactly Lubimiy, the night is still young." chimed in Marisol. Horatio looked dazed for a moment.

"Speak for yourself Horatio," muttered Frank, "I'm still feeling pretty good, whaddya say – me and you kids," he gestured expansively to Eric and Calleigh, "head out to the 'Love Shack' for a couple more cocktails?"

"Sure Frank, let me get the others." said Calleigh, turning back to get the stragglers in their group to hurry up.

Marisol was arm-in-arm with Alexx, both ladies giggling as if sharing a private joke about the men. "Can I give you two a lift?" asked Alexx.

Marisol shook her head, "No, don't worry Alexx, we'll get a cab. Drive safely."

"Are you sure Marisol?" asked Eric, his brotherly concern immediately dispelling his good mood. He looked with concern at Horatio too. However, Horatio was in too good a mood and having a friendly argument with Frank over the Dallas Cowboys thrashing the Miami Dolphins in their most recent game.

She nodded mouthing that she'd take Horatio home and make sure he was ok. She thought that this was the least she could do given all the time he had taken to care for her after her chemo session.

The little group said their goodbyes. Marisol and Horatio settled comfortably into their cab. It was beginning to drizzle outside and they both enjoyed the soothing effect the steady drops beat against the car.

"That was fun." She said after a few minutes. She had curled into him, her head tucked below his. "I always knew you had a naughty streak in you!"

He laughed in response and continued to trace small circles on her hand.

"It was nice to finally meet everyone."

"I know." he whispered, pulling her closer into him.

"You should definitely get out more! Now I know for sure there's a party animal hidden deep within the heart of Lieutenant Caine." she teased, lifting her head to give him a quick kiss.

He sighed happily, nodding in the dark at her words, "All because of your bad influence!" he retorted pulling her closer to him.

When they arrived at Horatio's house they decided to have one more nightcap before calling it a night. Horatio poured himself a scotch and small glass of port wine for Marisol. They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"Damnit!" she exclaimed reaching into her bag and pulling something out, "I almost forgot." She handed the wrapped parcel to him. "Happy Birthday again Horatio. Well, officially your birthday is over but hey… it's not everyday I get to do this with you!"

Horatio grinned. While he unwrapped the gift, he began to feel slightly light-headed from all the alcohol and he could feel the tipsy feeling slowly ascending into the higher realms of drunkenness. "Sweetheart! They're perfect." He hooked them around his neck and smiled. Marisol felt very turned on at the moment as he leaned in for a slow, lingering kiss. "What would I do without you?"

Now it was her turn to laugh, "Oh I'm sure you'd manage!"

He shook her head and pulled her onto his lap fully intending to show her that he certainly wouldn't be able to manage without her. A few minutes later and he could tell that things weren't going the way he planned. Marisol was laughing uncontrollably under him.

"Horatio," she giggled, her hands still stroking him, "I think age is catching up to you."

His eyes widened in alarm at her words and disappointment that her touch was failing to elicit a normal response from him.

She saw his alarm and brought her hands up to cup his face and kissed him to placate him before she let rip her parting shot "Either that, or all that alcohol hasn't simply gone to your head…" she let her eyes travel freely down his half-clothed form, "…but rather to other parts of your anatomy."

Horatio growled in frustration as he rolled off her muttering darkly about getting old. He pulled her to her feet and suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. Marisol noticed, "Let's get you to bed Lubimiy, you really need some sleep."

He went for a shower and she got some aspirin for him. She climbed into bed a little while later expecting him to be asleep but was thrilled to find herself being pulled into his warm embrace.

"Marisol?" he whispered, the hesitancy in his tone was obvious.

She turned around to face him. "About today - I guess I have some explaining to do about that phone call, sweetheart."

She brushed her lips against his, "Whenever you're ready Horatio. Whenever you're ready."

He nodded in the dark and propped his head up with his hand. "Well you see, I don't know what you've heard but this morning, on the phone, that was my brother Raymond and his family. They live in Brazil now."

Marisol smiled in the dark, scarcely believing he was opening up to her. Funny, she thought, what alcohol did to people – she thought he would retreat further into himself. She was happy to be proven wrong in this instance. "I heard from Eric that your brother Raymond died."

A loud sigh issued from above her. "I thought he died too."

Her hand found his under the covers and she linked her fingers through his. "Well you see, Ray's younger and I've always looked out for him. We had to look after ourselves from a young age and you know…" he trailed off for a moment, "…he'll never stop being my little brother. He was a good cop but things started to go awry after he joined the narcotics division. The job paid well which is why he took it because he and Yelina, his wife, were expecting another child. Then things started to get out of control; he wouldn't come home for periods of time and his family missed him, oh how they missed him! He started using meth but he always claimed it was for the job and that he'd get out soon. Just one more assignment and he'd get out. It was always one more damned assignment. I suppose we're both like that."

Marisol unconsciously squeezed his hand at his words. She tried to imagine what it must have been like for Yelina; alone trying to raise a son and manage her new pregnancy, constantly wondering when her husband would next be home. Suddenly, she wasn't surprised that Yelina and Horatio were close. Horatio would have been the only person she would have been able to confide in.

Horatio's thoughts wandered over his last statement and thought how alike he and Ray were in that regard. They would always stay for that one last assignment. Going over and above what was required was deeply ingrained into both their personas because that was the only way to survive in their New York neighbourhood. Well the only way to survive if you wanted to make something of your life and not go down with the gangs.

He sighed again, "Yelina lost the baby in her second trimester and then the inevitable happened; Ray said he was too immersed in his cover to leave now. His visits home and his reports became less frequent. I suppose that it was at this point that he fathered Madison, something which I will never regret even though it brought so much pain to Yelina when she found out. Ray went missing and it was presumed that he died. We all mourned him in our own way. Although, whether any of us came to terms with it is a different matter. Then one day, one day Marisol, I found evidence that he was alive."

Horatio's voice broke a little and Marisol pulled him down to rest his head on her shoulder. "He was alive and I couldn't believe it! But he was in trouble again except this time I had a chance to make it all go away; Let him, Yelina and Ray Junior start a new life as a family and make up for lost time. I had to make it go away, what kind of big brother would I be if I couldn't make it better. I did some things I shouldn't have done." His voice pleaded with Marisol, "Things I really shouldn't have done."

"Horatio, he's your brother, your blood. I do understand. You did the right thing. I would have done the same. I just hope Raymond realises how lucky he is to have you."

His voice became earnest, "Everything went according to plan. Everyone still believes Raymond's dead. His past deeds are rotting in an evidence box in some godforsaken cellar and no-one will go knocking on their door now." He closed his eyes and let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

Marisol held him close.

"I'm sorry I hadn't told you before, Marisol." He had pulled her back into his arms again.

She shook her head in the dark, "Don't be sorry Horatio. Thank-you for telling me now and trusting me enough."

He held her tighter to him and buried his face in her shoulder, "I just don't know what I'd do without them. They were my only family," he choked, "I had to do what I did. I abused my position but it was for Ray. I could never say no to him, not when it was such a perfect opportunity to make things right for all of them again."

She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him. "Don't worry Horatio, your conscience is safe with me."

He gave a low chuckle and lifted his head up to kiss her forehead. "I know." he whispered, "Goodnight Marisol."

"Goodnight Lubimiy." she replied sleepily a yawn finally overcoming her.

Within minutes they had both succumbed to sleep's sweet succour.

* * *

It was still raining the next morning when they both woke up.

"How's your head?" she teased.

"Clearly not as young as I used to be." grumbled Horatio reaching for some water and the aspirin she had left on his bedside table. He gulped the tablet and water down and settled back under the covers. "Although I can't complain. It was a wonderful birthday." It was tempting to spend all day long in bed, cuddling and kissing under the covers.

"You've made it a wonderful birthday Marisol," he whispered drawing her towards him as their lips finally found each other.

A little while later, while they both tried to catch their breaths Horatio Caine was glad to realise that no, he wasn't getting old and yes, it was just the alcohol!

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it. As you can no doubt tell, I took some liberties with Ray + Yelina's story in terms of her second pregnancy etc. Rick's recognition of Marisol is based on the piece 'Masquerade Ball', which was written last year. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** Hello again everyone! Thank-you for all the reviews and support that I've received in the last year encouraging me to update this story. Unfortunately I have had a lot happening with work being very demanding now, hence the very, very delayed update! As a result, I've decided that this is potentially the last chapter of my small epic because I'm not sure I can add anything more to improve the storyline or the love these characters have for each other and I think this episode: 4X22 'Open Water' is a nice way to end it all. Some scenes in this episode really annoyed me; how M acted so childlike after questioning or her shaky proposal to H, hence my own spin Also, I don't know if I can actually bear to kill Marisol off and leaving things likes this does let me get away with my indecision. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it is quite cheesy but I hope you find the HM loving to be to your satisfaction and that any questions you had were answered! As always, drop me a review if you can; always love hearing back from y'all especially those who have stuck with the story from its meagre beginnings! And finally...**happy reading =]**

**Disclaimer: **Sigh, it's getting harder to make these funny since the horrible TPTB: J. Bruckheimer and CBS deemed it necessary to cancel CSI:M. Ok, before I start ranting about it...let's get this finale on the road!

**CHAPTER 21: GETTING THERE**

"Mari, this is perfect! Where the hell did you find this place?" asked Bella as they parked infront of the 'Old Man and the Sea' restaurant.

Marisol smirked, "Another reason to forgive the good Lieutenant, since this is really his joint"

Bella scowled in reply. The truth was that she was annoyed with Horatio because he had become forgetful of late; forgetting to pick Marisol from hospital appointments, standing her up for dinner a couple of days later. Not to mention, that he had forgotten about the pre-wedding brunch organised by Marisol today. He had promised to take the morning off so he could attend. She was annoyed on her friend's behalf since Marisol had been quite happy to let him off the hook, citing stress at work.

Marisol rolled her eyes in mock defeat, "Bella, give the guy a break, we can't all have cushy fed jobs like Christian."

"Cushy fed job?!" asked an incredulous voice behind them. Both women turned around to find a grinning Christian. "Hello to y'all too. I see we're still talking about Horatio." A knowing look was sent Bella's way.

The women grinned in reply happy to let the subject drop. He kissed his fiancée before pulling her friend into a hug. "Mari, this place looks incredible! Thanks for organising everything. I have a feeling everyone is going to love it!"

"You're more than welcome, the both of you. It's the least I can do. So where is the 'clan'?"

"The bus should be here any moment now. Ah…" He gestured at the passengers alighting from a minibus, "…here is the 'clan', right on time!" He waved at them before offering an arm to each woman. "Right, let's get this show on the road ASAP, I'm starving!"

"Christian, don't be an arse. That's my Oma you're talking about!" giggled Bella as they sauntered towards the small group of people.

After the introductions were made the party made its way to the restaurant. The elderly owner, Jaime, was delighted to see Marisol again and drew her aside for a moment.

"Marisol, wonderful to see you again."

"Gracias, Tio Jaime. Is everything ready?"

"Oh yes, Señor Caine also ordered champagne for the breakfast party and said to put it on him. Something about making up for a problemo." He raised an eyebrow in question.

Marisol burst into laughter, "If you would please inform the happy couple," she pointed to Isabella and Christian, "I would be most grateful, Tio. I just have a quick phone call to make." she called as she walked away.

Her fingers dialed Horatio's number without thinking. He picked up after a couple of rings, "Hey you!" she couldn't help the girlish lilt in her voice due to her good mood.

"Hey." He whispered quietly back, although the delight was obvious in his hushed tone.

"You. Are. Wonderful." she emphasised, knowing he couldn't talk for long.

"Thank you." was the simple reply she received.

"Remind me to make it up to you later, Lubimiy."

Horatio would have had to be deaf not to hear the innuendo, "Apologise to Bella for me again. I hope the happy couple have a wonderful day."

"Love you," she declared emphatically, wondering in amusement what his reply would be since he was at work.

He cleared his throat distractedly, "Hmm, me too." was all he managed to murmur back before disconnecting the call.

Marisol chuckled in delight as she felt a lick of desire curl in her abdomen just thinking about the coming evening that would be spent at his condo.

Two arms came from behind to wrap her in a hug, "Ok, I can't be mad at him anymore…I give up."

Marisol laughed at Bella finally yielding, her own hand moving to rest atop Bella's entwined hands just below her neck "Gee Bella, if it takes champagne to earn your forgiveness, Christian better have a sizeable nest egg!"

Bella smacked her hand playfully, "Oh shush you!"

Her phone gave a soft beep and Marisol glanced at the screen, "Oh!"

"What is it?" asked Bella worriedly.

"It's the clinic. They have my blood test results and want me to come in as soon as I can. They probably want to talk me out of stopping the chemo. _AGAIN._"

"If it's urgent Mari, we'll go at the end of brunch and do the final fittings later."

"Nah, what's the point. I want you and Christian to be happy today, it's all about you and the family. The results can wait for another day. Besides, it's not like they're going to tell me I'm all better." she said ruefully.

"You never know Mari, you never know." replied Bella softly, a sad frown settling on her pretty features.

The two friends watched the water glimmer all shades of green in the sunlight. Marisol felt Bella's embrace tighten slightly and knew what was on her friend's mind.

Marisol gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "C'mon, let's get back to the familia."

Bella smiled at her, "Yeah, let's get back."

* * *

An hour later, Marisol found herself recounting childhood antics to Oma Sorenson who was sitting next to her. The bubbles were definitely having a good effect on the elderly lady and when Jaime turned up the music and requested a dance from her, she willingly obliged.

As Jaime twirled her gently around the veranda, Bella leaned towards her, "When I said be nice to my Oma, I didn't intend for you to get her drunk, Mari." she whispered with a giggle.

"You said she could do with some lightening up!" protested a giggling Marisol.

Soon another aunt and uncle stood up to dance and it wasn't long before there were calls for the happily betrothed couple to take the floor. Marisol sat back in her chair drinking in the scene. She was content and knew that she only needed her family and Horatio here to complete her happiness. Jaime deposited Oma Sorenson back next to her after a few minutes and Marisol smiled gratefully at him. He smiled back at her and Marisol turned to give her full attention to Oma.

Minutes later, Jaime hurried up to them again, worry etched into his forehead. "Senorita, there's a man outside asking for you. He is from the police. He just showed me his badge. He is very insistent on speaking to you."

Marisol stood up wondering why someone from the lab would be looking for her and for a second the thought that something had happened to Eric or Horatio sent a shiver of panic through her. She followed him outside, shielding her eyes against the bright sunlight. The small man in a black suit and gaudy tie looked unfamiliar to her.

"Marisol Delko?"

She immediately bristled at the name and tone, taking an instant dislike to the man. "Yes."

A black and gold badge was snapped in her face, "I am Federal Agent Wynn. We would like to take you in for questioning. This way." He pointed to the black sedan parked alongside.

"Questioning?!" she asked, alarmed. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Ma'am, I am really not at liberty to discuss federal matters on a street corner, no matter how lax and laid back things seem in this city. This way, please."

Marisol was becoming increasingly irked by the man's attitude, not least because he was insulting her home. "No, you can't just haul people away like this it-"

He stepped closer to her and she could see a vein throbbing above his left eye. "I am trying to be pleasant Miss Delko. You don't really have a choice. If you prefer, I can forcibly restrain you and then put you into the car."

She paled immediately at the suggestion, the thought of metal bracelets biting into her skin caused her to shiver in the midday sun. "Can I at least go and tell my friends where I'm going?"

"That won't be necessary. We will inform them that your assistance is urgently required and that you will contact them when you can." His hands moved to rest on his waist, parting his jacket slightly to show the holstered sidearm and handcuffs.

She was about to protest against the veiled threat when he jostled her into the car. "Hurry please. We don't have a lot of time."

The rough push forward caught her off-guard so that she now found herself sandwiched between two stereotypical federal agents in black suits. "Where are you taking me?!" she demanded. Panic was reasserting itself when she realised she didn't have her cell with her and that she hadn't really taken a good look at the man's badge. Eric's cautions suddenly flooded through her mind and now, no-one had a clue as to where the hell she was. Her companions' stony silence to any further attempts to find out where they were headed meant that she focused on familiar landmarks in case she was being abducted. However, the route they seemed to be taking was quite familiar to her and they weren't going down any alleys or side-streets. In fact, they did seem to be heading towards CSI Headquarters which did much to ease her mind.

When they drew up to the CSI building, the car headed towards the underground car park. She was quickly ushered by the man called Wynn into a waiting elevator. Marisol could hardly believe the whole situation was happening to her. As far as she knew, she had done nothing wrong since her marijuana incident a couple of months ago and she certainly did not know anyone involved in anything illegal!

The elevator's doors opened onto an unfamiliar floor and she shivered slightly as the air conditioning blasted her upon stepping out. The sleeveless white linen outfit she had chosen, anticipating a hot and sweaty day, was no match for the arctic temperatures circulating on this floor. She didn't recognise anyone in the corridors as she was led to one of the interrogation rooms. She did see one harassed-looking Rick Stetler in another office so she could only surmise she was in the infamous IAB department.

"I apologise for my rudeness earlier, Miss Delko but we're working on a strict deadline." said Agent Wynn, settling himself into the chair opposite hers.

Marisol kept silent, crossing her arms against herself as she watched him take off his jacket and drape it around the back of his chair and pull out a thick red and yellow folder from the briefcase on the table. His two henchmen had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Not that she could care less as she felt calm at the fact that she did have help somewhere in the building if she needed it. "Don't I get a phone call at least?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

He sat back and regarded her coolly, "Like I said earlier, you aren't under arrest. We just have some questions for you regarding the CSI lab."

She looked at him puzzled; "I don't know anything about the lab."

"I would say that you know quite a bit about the lab." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively making her feel very uncomfortable.

"I really don't know what you mean to imply by that, Mr Wynn." she replied as calmly as she could.

"On the contrary, you seem to feature on a weekly basis at this laboratory with members seeming to cover up your various misdemeanours. Not to mention the role of your brother and admirer, Lieutenant Caine."

Her mouth was agape at the last sentence, "My admirer? Cover up? Are you insane?" she asked furiously before biting back a string of insults on the tip of her tongue. "I don't see what business you have meddling. Even policemen are allowed to have personal lives. It's not illegal to be related to an officer of the law."

He nodded in easy agreement and Marisol was immediately put on her guard by this.

"I see this isn't going to be easy Miss Delko. You have yet to see the conflicts of interest th-."

"Actually, I understand the conflicts of interest perfectly, which is why everything has been run by the book and no exceptions have been made, regardless of who I am. As far as this lab is concerned, I am just another Miami denizen."

"So you say Miss Delko and yet you possessing a significant amount of marijuana somehow slipped below the department's radar and you got off scot-free."

His glib tone finally got to her, "I did not get off scot-free, Agent Wynn! I hardly call having cancer as getting off scot-free!" she said coldly, "Would you like me to apologise for having cancer and the horrible side-effects of chemotherapy or apologise for having a loving family that like to take care of me after my chemo sessions?" She stood up abruptly, blinking back angry tears, hands balled into tight fists. "Smoking weed is the only way to deal with the side-effects and my brother makes sure I'm still ok by the end of it and helps me eat."

A look of surprise flashed across his face with her admission before it was replaced by a smug look. "So you do admit to the marijuana charge."

"I admit to the use of cannabis for medical reasons. Check with my doctor if you like!" was all she could shoot back, desperately needing a moment to compose herself before she punched the man. "What do you want Mr Wynn? I wasn't given any special treatment with the case. I was in a holding cell for several hours. I was questioned and I was released with a misdemeanour on a previously spotless record. The evidence showed I wasn't guilty and there you have it."

"You were released on a technicality."

Now it was Marisol's turn to be glib, "The evidence speaks for itself Agent."

He was not amused and changed tact, "Given the connection you have with two leading members in the CSI team, how much information do they share with you?"

Marisol raised her shoulders in exasperation, "Please get to the point, Agent. What do you mean about information?"

"Do they tell you about cases they're working on; about what's going on in the CSI lab?"

Marisol looked at him in askance, "We don't really talk about work at family get-togethers, no. Both Eric and Lieutenant Caine are professional when it comes to such things."

"Have you ever asked for information about their cases?"

"What?! No, of course not! I'm an accountant by profession. I have no interest in bullet markings and centrifuges."

"Have you ever discussed cases with either of them?"

"I just told you 'No'," Marisol was beginning to think the man a neanderthal with his repetitive questions.

"Have you ever discussed their cases with anyone else?"

"Seeing as I don't know anything about their work, that would be a bit hard to do, don't you think?" Her patience was wearing dangerously thin.

"'Yes' or 'No' will suffice Miss Delko. There is no need to be rude."

She couldn't believe the nerve of the insufferable man! "No, I haven't."

* * *

"Christ!" muttered Bella after listening to Jaime's hurried explanation of what had happened to Marisol. She asked him if he was sure it wasn't Horatio who had picked Marisol up. He shook his head vehemently, looking slightly insulted at the suggestion that he wouldn't recognise one of his best customers. Isabella was at a loss to think who else would be interested in Marisol. She looked over to Christian and couldn't bear to tear him away from him having a good time and worry him with this. Everyone looked to be having a good time and Bella really didn't want to spoil the day. On the other hand, she had no idea where Marisol could be and her first reaction was to call Eric. She took a couple of deep breaths to dissipate the champagne bubbles that seemed to make thinking straight a wee bit difficult at the moment.

She smiled reassuringly at Jaime and told him that she would make sure Marisol was ok and thanked him again for all his help in organising the brunch. After a quick bathroom break to splash some water on her face to clear her head, she headed back to the table to think of a plan.

* * *

"The lab has suffered information leaks lately. Do you know anything about this?" was the next ridiculous question on this Agent Wynn's list.

Marisol rolled her eyes in exhaustion, "No, I don't know anything about this." These questions had been going on for what seemed like an hour. He seemed to be chasing his tail around in circles.

"I find it hard to believe that neither CSIs Caine nor Delko have told you about the recent trouble at the lab."

"Well they haven't. We all leave work, at work."

He leaned over and winked at her, "I'm sure you have much more interesting things to get on with." The suggestiveness is his voice was so plain and it took all her self-control to not punch him in the face.

"So what do you know about the lab?"

"Not much. Evidence is processed here and there are a couple of holding cells which I have had the pleasure of spending time in. Dade PD is in the next building." She shrugged, "That's it really."

"What evidence is processed here?"

"Ballistics I think it's called. I really don't know what else; other stuff…chemical testing and what not. I'm really not familiar with the intricacies of the CSI profession."

"Not a very convincing performance, Miss Delko. I was expecting much more." he said smoothly.

"What is this? A pop quiz?!" she asked angrily, feeling her heart rate immediately go up again. Something about the man just pushed all her buttons.

"Interesting reaction."

"Fuck you!" the curse unconsciously slipped from her lips. She looked down, embarrassed that she had lost control.

He smiled at her reaction. "Finally, we're getting somewhere now."

She had no idea what he was talking about and clearly believing that the man belonged in a sanatorium.

"Back to the subject of the lab, Miss Delko, what do you know about the Grayson case?"

"Nothing. Never ever heard of a Grayson."

He raised a questioning eyebrow, "Really? What about James Marcus?"

"Well obviously, it's been all over the news."

"Are you involved in the leak about the suspects and witnesses involved in the case?"

She looked at him shocked, "No, of course not! I have no clue about what happens at this lab. Why don't you believe me?"

"Evidence, Miss Delko." He stated nastily, throwing her earlier comment back at him.

Marisol was at a loss for words, "Well then I'm sure the evidence will point to the innocence of Eric, Lieutenant Caine and the lab."

He clucked sadly, "Such misplaced confidence Miss Delko."

* * *

"Slow down Eric!" scolded Horatio.

Eric stood panting in front of him trying to catch his breath. "H. Don't panic."

Horatio chuckled wryly, "Ok, I won't panic. What's wrong?"

"It's Marisol." He immediately saw his boss' eyes cloud over, "She went missing from Christian and Bella's brunch."

Horatio pulled Eric into a smaller alcove, leaning against the wall for support. "What's going on Eric?"

"Marisol got pulled away from the brunch this morning by some federal agent." Eric held up a hand to stop Horatio from interrupting him, "Look, I just wanted to let you know. I can deal with it. I'll just take a half day absence and make some phone calls. Is that ok?"

Horatio nodded and couldn't help but grin at the younger man's earnestness. He knew that Eric had felt sidelined after what happened to Marisol at the spa and he was hoping to make it up to younger CSI. He smiled, "Absence approved Eric. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Eric's jaw fell open slightly. He had been expecting more resistance from his boss. Horatio clasped a hand to his protegee's shoulder and sighed, "I trust you Eric and I apologise for anything I may have done over the past couple of weeks to upset you. I thought I would try and be as helpful as I could after Marisol told me about everything you had done for her. She wouldn't want to have burdened you further." Horatio winked at him, "She knows you have a lot on your plate at the moment."

Eric's jaw gaped even more, "Thanks H," he muttered before taking a deep breath, "If there's anything you need done with the case, just let me know."

The older man simply nodded and they both parted ways. Eric felt like a load had been lifted from his shoulders. Their personal relationship was still lacking after the spa incident; there was still some tension and Eric had kept Horatio at a distance. A distance he now no longer felt he had to keep.

* * *

Horatio scratched his head trying not to distract himself with thoughts of Marisol and focus on the case's suspects. His desk phone rang and he immediately answered with a curt, "Caine here." The chief was on the other end and wanted him to come up to review some more information about the potential mole.

The only other occupant in the lift was Rick Stetler. Horatio groaned mentally, thinking the day couldn't get any worse. "Rick." he acknowledged as genially as he could.

"Horatio." acknowledged Rick just as genially, rocking back and forth on his heels. Once the doors slid shut Rick sidled up to Horatio. "You didn't hear this from me, Caine."

"Whatever you say, Agent Stetler." replied Horatio, eyes fixed firmly on the steel doors infront of him but ears straining.

"The FBI are currently creeping around investigating the lab." Horatio sighed, this wasn't entirely news to him. However, he was willing to acknowledge that Stetler was passing on the info in good faith. "They have Delko's sister in one of the rooms on our floor. Thought you would like to know." he ended with a smirk, stepping away from Horatio.

This was news indeed and for once he was grateful to the know-it-all IAB department who liked to stick their noses in everyone's business. "Thanks Rick."

"You're welcome." was the gruff reply.

They parted once the elevator doors slid open, looking to all the world like nemeses who would be loathe to share the small confines of a lift unless held at gunpoint. Horatio made quick work with the Chief before making a beeline for the interrogation rooms. He noticed that only one of the rooms was occupied and that the woman's physique looked remarkably like Marisol. He briefly reflected that it was ironic and unfair that Marisol's location was practically dropped into his lap while Eric was probably using every contact he had to track down his sister. He sent Eric a quick message that he had found her so that he wouldn't worry and could get back to working on their current case. As he stood by the door, he could already tell she was lost in her own world; her arms were stretched out infront of her, palms flat against the table. Her back stiffened when he opened the door but she didn't turn around.

"Marisol? Is everything ok?"

She turned around, surprised to see him. He could tell that he was the last person she thought she would see. "I don't know." was her cagey answer, "I was brought in for questioning today."

"Questioning by who, Sweetheart?"

She could already feel the anger welling up in him and it kept her own anger at bay. She blinked a couple of times trying to clear her head. "He said he was a federal agent, the FBI, I guess?" She knew she sounded like a hopeless child, but the truth was that she was still reeling from Agent Wynn's ridiculous questions. She pulled his card out from her pocket, "Here. He gave me his card."

"Special Agent Wynn."

"You know him?"

"No, I don't."

She touched his arm gently, "Hey, are you in trouble?"

Stormy blue eyes met her own, "No, but he is!"

Marisol sighed, all her worries for Eric and Horatio's CSI team flooding back. "Lubimiy, before you go stomping off- ." she began before being interrupted by Eric's appearance.

"Mari! Thank goodness. Are you ok?"

Her big sister persona immediately kicked in upon seeing Eric so upset, "I'm doing just fine, Eric." she kissed him on the cheek to reassure him. Horatio's body language was still screaming blue murder so she gently squeezed his hand in an attempt to ebb some of his anger.

"What happened?" asked Eric.

"Oh the FBI just had some questions for me about the lab." She replied as breezily as she could, not wanting to worry Eric further.

"Why the hell did they ask you?" growled Eric, taking note of the fact that Horatio had remained deathly quiet all the while.

"I guess they want to cover all angles." Marisol patted his arm in a soothing manner, "Don't worry you two, I'm fine, really. Not like I know anything about what you geeks get upto in here anyway."

Eric rolled his eyes, "Yes you always hated science. Let's get you back to Bella before you miss dessert. " he reminded, gently steering her towards the door.

The three of them took the elevator down to the parking lot. Horatio was quiet all the way down. "Eric, I have some evidence I need to process so we can wrap this case up by the end of the day."

"Sure H, I'll meet up with Tripp on the way back."

"Eric, be a star and get the car please? I just need a minute with THE boss."

"Si senorita." replied Eric with a playful nod, practically running to the car so that he wouldn't have to see his sister kissing his boss.

She cocked her head to one side, trying to copy his stance and gaze that she had seen so many times before. "Hey, talk to me, please. Are you ok?"

He smiled at her attempts to humour him, "I'm ok because you're ok. Simple."

She pulled him closer to give him a peck on his cheek, but first whispered into his ear, "Please don't be so angry, don't let your temper get the better of you," she kissed him briefly, "I love you."

"Enjoy the party, Marisol." he said as Eric pulled up in the car.

She pulled away from him and moved to the car, slightly hurt at the lack of emotion on his part and tried to ignore the low feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Bye then," she replied with feigned brightness as he closed the door gently after her, rapping on the car roof to signal to Eric that all was well.

As they drove off he thought about Marisol's words again and decided that maybe he wouldn't seek out this Wynn character and give him a piece of his mind after all. His cell started beeping - it was switchboard informing him that the ship's Captain was in the building.

* * *

Horatio was just about to go into the interrogation room when Rick stepped out of a meeting room a couple of doors ahead. Curious, he cocked his head to one side to see whom the IAB agent had been meeting with. Rick rolled his eyes several times towards the seated figure and Horatio immediately caught on that this was their unwanted FBI agent. He thought about Marisol's whispered words but then sighed at the remarkable fact that today everything seemed to be dropping into his lap whether he wanted it or not. Therefore he concluded that he may as well seize the moment and figure out what exactly the FBI's intentions were.

"Agent Wynn."

The man looked up from his newspaper completely unfazed by Horatio's sudden appearance. This caught Horatio off guard and he wondered if Rick had may be played him…right into Wynn's hands.

"Lieutenant Caine. Oh I hope you don't mind me dropping in. It doesn't work to call ahead.

"What do you want?" the tone was one of forced politeness.

"Well actually I need your help Lieutenant. Something doesn't smell right to me." Wynn gestured amiably with his spectacles, "The woman central to the investigation against Officer Delko becomes your girlfriend," he watched to see what the other man's reaction would be and was thrilled when Horatio dropped his gaze. A sure sign for him that there was some truth to his theory. Not guessing that Horatio had broken eye contact to gaze down and control his hands which had twitched up of their own accord to punch the smug bastard. He continued, "and thus protecting her from further scrutiny and suddenly her own drug charges…" his hands gestured a puff of smoke, "..just disappear."

Horatio looked down again to make sure his hands were under control before saying, "Agent Wynn, you should have done better research. There were no charges filed on the Delkos.

"You know I did you a favour, Lieutenant." said the other man conspiratorially. The smug smile appeared again - Horatio wanted to cleave if off the man's face but the loathsome man's next words sent his heart plummeting to the basement of the building. "I could have subpoenaed Marisol. Stuck her infront of a white light and a grand jury. I was just trying to see if there was something there."

"So you wasted your time," was Horatio's quick retort, his eyes again on his hands that had now found something to fidget with to combat the anger that was now fully stoked within his being.

Horatio's comment meant that the gloves were off and the hostilities out in the open. "An investigation into a dirty lab is never a waste of time."

"Agent Wynn, I don't know who you are, or who you work for but if you ever contact Marisol again; it'll be the last thing you ever do." His tone brooked no argument although the other man took pleasure in the fact that he had managed to rile the Lieutenant into making threats.

Wynn let Horatio win this round. His only thoughts as the Lieutenant stepped out were regrets that he hadn't turned on the voice recorder during this session to record the other man's threats. However, he conceded that this was just their first meeting and that he had for all intents and purposes just meant this to be an introduction. Now that the gloves were off and the games were definitely on, he would have to push his mole harder to get the information he needed. The lab was dirty and there was no doubt about that in his mind.

* * *

Marisol stood by the waterfront waiting. Horatio had called and said he would pick her up from the final bridal wear fitting that the girls had gone to after brunch. She had merely said that they needed to talk and he had agreed with her. Ironically it was Bella who had changed her mind about what she wanted to talk to him about. The incident today had tormented her for the rest of the day; she wanted to be happy with him but now saw that as impossible. She was anathema to him – they were not suited to each other, she was not good for him or his work. That much was clear. Besides, why should she make him suffer through all of this when they both knew that a happy ending was not on the cards. At least she had had the opportunity to truly love someone _twice_ in her brief life which was much more than some people ever had. She had convinced herself that she should be satisfied and that she had their memories to fall back on for the lonely nights that would come. Above all, she knew she had to convince him that leaving her was the right thing for him, no, for them both.

Upon her return, Marisol had reassured the rest of the party that she was fine and had just been asked some routine questions for quality assurance. She was surprised and touched when Oma Sorenson hugging her tight to thank her for the wonderful brunch also whispered a wish for her happiness. Isabella had picked up on her pitiful mood on the way to the fitting and cajoled her into confiding what was wrong.

After Marisol pored out her thoughts, Bella took the view of promoting her friend's happiness no matter what it took and convinced her friend that the future was a beautiful mystery and that nothing was certain and that ending things now with Horatio was not in either of their best interests. It was hard work but Isabella managed to pull it off.

She knew the moment he arrived; could feel his eyes on her as her body awakened in anticipation of his caress. Ignoring his presence, she focused once more on the pair of ducks paddling a distance away, happy in their companionship. She knew how they felt and for a moment felt ridiculous for empathizing at a ducky level although the feelings that welled up inside her were about to burst forth.

He approached her with a confidence that he didn't possess. "There she is." He hadn't expected to see the tumult of unguarded emotions that played across her face as she turned to face him. "Are you ok?"

"I just want to be clear about something."

She was about to babble on only to be met with his usual alacrity, "Go ahead sweetheart."

"Last week during my treatment you said you were there for me." Her big eyes looked at him imploringly, "What does that mean?"

He was lost for words and not entirely sure what to say back. Did he want to tell her that she had become absolutely vital to his wellbeing and that she did complement him in every way and that he had never envisaged being so happy even though he knew it was for a fleeting moment in time, with her cancer looming its ugly head over them? He hesitated before saying, "I thought we agreed that we would do whatever we wanted." His blue eyes pleaded with her to let him know what was going through her mind. What doubts plagued her now? And could he in any way assuage them?

"Does that…" she trailed off trying to think of another way to phrase her thoughts. "Does that include marriage?" The proposal came tumbling from her lips and her breath felt suspended in her body as she waited for an answer.

He answered affirmatively in less than a heartbeat and then took her hands in his to reassure her. His face blushed scarlet and his gaze dropped in that way that she loved, a small shy smile gently tugging at the corners of his mouth. In that moment she knew that she had done the right thing and felt the load lift from her heart and swell instead with love for this beautiful incorrigible man who had had such a hard life but gave her all his love.

"It does." He repeated drawing her closer to him. An equal mix of hope and happiness shining in his eyes was reflected in the soft smile breaking out on her face.

They turned together in perfect harmony to face the water. She rested her head against his shoulder. "I love you Marisol." He whispered into her hair. He felt her smile and in that one moment – they were both perfectly content.

They remained like that for a while. She drew his attention to the ducks, confiding her earlier ducky thoughts to him. He chuckled at her musings. He looked at his watch and decided he had enough time to show her something special. "C'mon, I want to show you my special place."

He led her to the car and they were soon speeding back towards CSI headquarters. He drove straight into the basement parking lot and hurried her to the elevator. Going through the same motions now as she had earlier with the FBI, her feelings were a sharp contrast to the panic and anger she had felt.

"Horatio? What the?" she asked in surprise as his hand clamped over her eyes to blindfold her.

"Relax," he whispered into her ear, his breath raising goosebumps along her body as he kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Should have known your special place would be at work." she huffed good-naturedly.

He laughed and kissed her cheek. After the elevator arrived at their destination, he led her up a flight of stairs and then she felt the warm Miami air suddenly envelope her again and she knew they were outside.

His hand fell away from her eyes and she stood in awe at the flaming red-orange ball that was beginning to sink in the sky. They were standing near the helipad on the roof of the building which commanded a magnificent 360-degree view of the open sky with the sun going down in the city park on one side and the ocean bay on the other side. The skyscrapers of Miami's skyline were a distance away. His arms entwined around her as he rested his head atop hers.

"This is my little piece of peace and quiet in this mad building. It also just happens to have the best view in town of the sun going down."

"It's magnificent Horatio. Absolutely beautiful! And who would have thought that you could get such peace and quiet in Miami!"

They were surrounded by silence, broken by the occasional whisper of a breeze that cooled the air around them. He sighed in agreement and contentedness watching the clouds streak through changing yellow, magenta and orange hues that contrasted with the emerald green canopy of the park.

She unexpectedly twirled around in his embrace to plant her lips squarely on his for a hungry, raw kiss that ripped the breath from his body. He was aroused in a moment and felt her body responding to his familiar touch. It was an incredible experience for them both to make love in the incandescent glow of the setting sun; their eyes locked on each other, their bodies culminating in glorious passion to match the fiery ball's last blaze before sinking on the horizon.

* * *

All was still as dusk settled and they lay sated in each other's arms, cool concrete pressing against bare skin as they watched the stars come out.

"I have never done that before." was all she was able to say, still too caught up in the moment.

He laughed, "Really? I thought getting off on rooftops was a specialty of yours after what happened at Madison's party."

She laughed as well pulling his jacket around them for some semblance of warmth as the wind had picked up and was a little severe against their now cooled-off skins. Horatio settled her against him so she was comfortable.

"To think I didn't even know you a couple of months ago." she murmured against him as his fingers played in her hair. "And now, now I can't even imagine my life without you. You're family and there's nothing I won't do for you Lubimiy."

"Love has a way of doing that to you, sweetheart. I love you and I pray you always remember that." he pulled her closer for a chaste kiss against her lips.

"I can't believe how far we've come."

"Yes," he said, "We did get there in the end."

***- LE FIN-***

**AN2:** And there we have it everyone - thank you so much for coming along this writing journey with me, it's been fantastic and all due to your support! The final scene on the roof-top came to me as an idea because of the S5 finale which randomly has Horatio standing on a rooftop so I thought this would be a nice way of making sense of that moment. I may do a short epilogue depending on the responses I get but this is a big MAYBE dependent on work pressures. However, just because we've come to the end of this HM story doesn't mean I'm hanging up my HM plot-bunnies. I will hopefully be writing some one-shots with this pairing since I still adore them.


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